W Juliet and the Phantom of the theatre
by Pumpkinjuice01
Summary: W Juliet ff. The drama club has a new play in full swing, the phantom of the opera. However as things begin to mysteriously take place the drama members fear they may be in the pressence of a REAL phantom.
1. A New Play

Well, this is the first chapter of my W Juliet story. I know it took a while to get it up but I'm really excited to write this one! Something you should know, with my last WJ story I updated weekly, well that was nice when I had the chapters prewritten but towards the end it was crazy cuz they weren't written ahead. So the update for this one will be random, just thought you'd like to know. :D

I love reviews by the way!

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Chapter 1

Alone in the hallways Makoto made his way to the gym for the play practice. He stopped only once on his way, to inspect himself in the window of the gym door. Fixing his extensions in that fell down from the top of his head in a fit pony tail he let a smirk fade over his face. "How do I do it?" he asked himself as he inspected his eyeliner and blush. The young male certainly looked the part of teenage, female actress but he still wondered how he was able to get by each and every day.

The door next the one he was using as a mirror opened and some club members came out, "Makoto-chan!"they chimed. "You're late, some of us were getting worried!"

Makoto disguised his voice as he spoke, "Not to worried, I hope."

Shaking their heads they headed off to the washrooms, leaving Makoto to enter the gym alone and play the part he was so used to doing. He walked in and saw Ito waving him over. He remembered the question he had asked himself outside and suddenly had found the answer. Walking briskly over to Ito, who was surrounded by other club members, he watched as she began an announcement to the other cast members. She was waving her hands high above her head, her rough voice calling out to everyone echoed throughout the large open space. Makoto smiled at her, thinking it was an impressive scene, however the smile was quickly dropped as a new body opened the door and entered the gym, shouting:

"Listen to Ikko you kids! She has something to say that concerns _all_ of you!" Whisking around Makoto's could feel his heart drop at the sound of Toki-sepai's voice. He was sighing as Miss. Itô came to the scene with Toki right beside her. The only good thing about Toki's presence was that the other kids who had playing around filed in around Ito to hear what she had to say.

Much to Makoto's disappointment he saw Ito give a smile of complete gratitude to Toki. Instead of standing around sulking he decided to join in with the other club members. Ito cleared her throat and began to speak, "We're going to start another play, it should take place early in January for our winter festival, so we have about two months to work on it."

One of the new club members raised his eyebrow's at her. The little snob snorted, saying, "You don't even know what the play is, do you?"

"No, but Miss. Itô does you little brat!" Ito informed the 1st year kindly. The kid didn't like being treated as anything worth less then the sun.

Luckily Miss. Itô got to business before any acts punishable by death were committed. She walked forward holding a playbook high above her and many others in her arms. "You want to know what play we are doing?" she was asking as she handed them out. Once done, she turned face everyone and held the playbook close to her face, smiling from ear to ear, "How does the Phantom of the opera sound?"

Silence fell over the small group as they looked down at their play books. Makoto knew the thought that was on all their minds and fearing the answer thought it his place to ask. "Isn't that a _musical _by Andrew Lloyd Webber?" As he asked he thought of how difficult it would be to sing in his feminine voice.

The teacher, however, laughed at the question. "But _before _it was a musical play, it was a novel! Written by a french novelist Gaston Leroux in 1911." She smiled to each of them. "Though I _know_ how you would _all _like to do a musical, I'm afraid time is not a friend when it comes to musicals. Therefore, we shall do the non-musical one, understood?" Everyone nodded and Miss. Itô began to go through the procedure to everyone. "Costumes, we don't really have the money for brand new costumes, but we can use the ones from our Romeo and Juliet that we did a few years ago, they may be a bit out of the time frame but...they also did plays. Most of the costumes the characters will be wearing are costumes from their own plays."

Toki had made himself very comfortable on the stage, where he had a nice back view of a line of girls. He had already started to smoke up a storm but he took his cigarette out of his mouth to say, "And my college will be loaning you guys some costumes. Whose ever playing the ballet girls are _real_ lucky. We have some we were going to use for our performance the N_utcracker_, but the costumer designer designed them to small. They'll fit most of you girls" he said, cocking his head to the side, smiling as he checked out the girls in front of him. "Yeah...they'll do alright."

Makoto didn't pay him any mind and was happy when he saw Ito just roll her eyes at him. The snobby little boy, however, had more questions to ask. "That raises the question of who will play what role. I think I'd be best to play Raol."

Miss. Itô leaned forward and crotched down to be at eye level with the kid. "Too bad you couldn't pass as a girl. You'd make a GREAT Camella!" She stood up and gave the shocked boy a look that told him to be quiet. "Actually Tsugami would be the best but...she's already graduated. The selfish little brat!" She pulled out of her schizophrenia to look at the worried club members. "Actually, I think I will get Tsugami to play Camilla. I'll get in contact with her later, now I have to get you guys into the roles. First off!"

"How much you want to bet she's already got my part picked?" Ito whispered to Makoto sounding very annoyed.

"Hey, it can't be so bad, so what if you don't need to audition?" he asked, trying to sound positive.

The teacher had pointed directly to Ito. They had both missed their roles. "What am I?" Ito asks.

Miss. Itô smiled, "You, will play the Phantom!"

The little snob spoke up, "Shouldn't the phantom be a male?"

Another club member kicked the kid just as Toki was making his way to the snob. "Why do you ask? Do _you_ want to play the phantom? Well I admit you have the face to play it, but," he stretched up and put his hand flat out next to his neck, "The phantom needs height! No pipsqueak like you could play someone of great depth."

"Are you implying that height and depth have something in common?"

Miss. Itô shook her head and push Toki away, he decided to make his way back to the stage. "When people come here, they are expecting a phantom full of mystery and passion." her eyes gleamed as she thought of the perfect phantom. "He must have the height so that his his hidden face taunts all who dare try and find it. As it sits upon his face, it taunts the ever loving, curious Christine: it must high up, so that she can never reach it, but forever see it. His dark mysterious eyes will forever long for her as they gaze down on her mesmerized face ah-- and his voice! Oh it must be a daunting, dark, husky voice, a sound that no one will ever be able to forget!"

"Wow, I have a lot to live up to." Ito whispered in Makoto's ear as Miss. Itô's unusual praise continued.

He shrugged and leaned into her own ear. "I know you can do it."

As a blush began began to make its way up through her cheeks Miss. Itô was finishing up her praises. "And that brings us to Christine Daee. The young ballerina at the height of her singing career is confused and puzzled as she feels a the pull of childhood love and another pull of the mysterious, passionate singer." she pointed to Makoto this time. "There is your Christine! Makoto Amano!"

The group cheered and applauded the decision. Even the snob agreed Makoto was a good choice. At that moment however there was the sound of something hard hitting the ground. Fear shadowed Toki's face as he looked to his side, where the noise had come from but quickly he saw the curtains closing in on him from both sides. Confusion showed over his fear as he began to jump down. He backed away slowly as the curtains came together. No one could believe their eyes as they stared the closed scarlet curtains before them.

Across the entire curtain was a painted black rose.


	2. Worrying Brothers

Okay, thanks SO much for the reviews. I loved them! I tried replying to them but some weren't signed, oh well. This is short and went up a long while after the 1st chapter because...well its that time of the semester. I have been doing final projects the past month so I wasn't to thrilled to write anything on my spare time. Well I hope you like this, please review and tell me if there's anything I can improve, or not improve, or what you think of the phantom.

Chapter 2

Makoto leaned against the wall outside the school, watching as Ito shook her head in her hands and waited to stop her from banging her head against the brick wall. "This can't be good! Not at all! Did you hear Miss. Itô? She went ballistic!"

Thinking back Makoto began to realize Ito was right. The moment the curtain had been drawn and the drama club had let out a gasp the air had fallen silent, except for the sound of Miss. Itô's foot tapping against the gym floor. Steam had been shooting out of both her ears as she stared at the black rose before she shouted, "WHERE IS THE ART CREW!" apparently she thought they were the only ones who had access to paint.

Makoto rolled his eyes as Ito began to pace, "What if the people end up ruining the stage! What if they ruin the sets? Or the costumes?"

Seeing that Ito was about to faint from stress Makoto took her hand and lead her out of the school grounds. "What do you say we _forget _about the play for a second?"

"Forget? Did you not happen to see the dilemma here?" she asked, her voice growing higher as worry began to slowly take over her body.

He let out a sigh, saying, "Ito, Ito. Miss. Itô is already on top of it." She was about to interrupt but he continued. "We've gotten through much worse things and the rose may actually work for our production. And besides, you should be studying for." Reminding her why they were heading to her house. She blushed and looked to the sky as he reluctantly wrapped his arm around her. "I think the _real_ dilemma would be to let our leading actress stress herself too much over this thing and having an aneurysm before the production date!" he felt the lighthearted shove of her shoulder in his chest but ignored it.

For in that instant a large, luxurious car pulled up in front of them. They both stopped they're chatter as the window of the car slowly began to reveal Takashi. He gave a quick smile to the two of them, one that showed he thought it was charitable to smile to people worth less then himself. He fixed a loose strand of his hair before asking them how drama practice was.

"Fine, thank you." Makoto tried it say it cooly but he knew that his grip around Ito's shoulder was slightly tightening, as though his mussels knew not to trust him.

"That's not what I heard." he said as his car drove away.

Makoto shook his head. "He'll be the death of our group, I'll tell you that right now."

Ito shrugged. "Not if the painter keeps up his business."

They continued their walk to Ito's house in silence. Makoto tired to speak with Ito the whole time but couldn't get her attention for some reason, it was only when they walked to the door of her house that he was able to say something.

"Are you brothers home?" his head shook to the side as he gave a glance to the car.

She gave a shrug. "Tatsuyoshi will probably be, I thought Ryuya had a martial arts class and Yûto had to work late. Oh well. This means that I don't have to cook!"

Makoto gave a short laugh. He knew she loved cooking, he also knew she wasn't the best at it but he could tell she was improving, little by little. He would always swallow his pride and eat her meals, knowing it was beneficial for her to see someone eating it however not eating it would do his stomach just fine.

They walked in and saw Ryuya on the couch reading a magazine and munching down on chips. He said hi but didn't get up, Ito decided to sit down on his legs as punishment. "ACH! What's your problem Ito?"

She shrugged but seeing as he had already went back to his magazine she grabbed it and threw it down on the table. "Why aren't you at the dojo?"

"Dad took over for the night!"

Makoto saw the disappointment stretch across her face, she didn't like it when she didn't get to see her dad at night. But the look was gone with Yûto came in, drying a plate with a dishrag. "Ito, we'll be eating in about two hours, alright? Makoto-chan, are you staying for supper?"

Makoto smiled and bowed down graciously. "If it is alright with you."

Ryûya slapped Makoto in the leg with his magazine, "Quit the manners! We think of you as family, you hang out with Ito so much you may as well be. So quit your bowing."

Makoto brought his head up quickly and apologized, that only got Ryûya shaking his head. Ito and Makoto retreated to Ito's room, to try to do some homework before supper. Thad had only cracked the books open when Ito began her distraction game; to avoid math. "Why do you use so much manners around my brothers, it isn't like they deserve it.:"

Makoto shook his head, knowing what she was doing but he played along. "I just want to stay on their good side until a certain secret pops out."

"Yeah I can't wait for that day." she said with a gleam in her eyes. "They'll run you out of town for sure."

"Oh I love the optimism in your voice." he joked before trying to steer her back to her math.

Needless to say they couldn't stay focused on the math and soon they were both talking about the rose. Ito brought up an interesting subject.

"What if Takashi has something to do with it, I mean, its not past him."

Makoto smiled, "Was that why you were so quiet today after seeing him?"

"Yeah I was trying to think if he had been around the the curtains but now that he's not in my class I don't know." she admitted sadly.

Yûto called them for supper and they burst into the kitchen. Sitting around the table they all ate and chatted about the meal. It was long before they were clearing their plates. Ryûya and Yûto got some cups out and made a pot of tea as well as laid out a plate of cookies for then to have for desert.

Ryuya sat down with the pot and looked at Ito. "So how was your day?"

She shrugged. "It was okay, but drama practice was odd!"

Yûto sat down after placing some tea cups in front of everyone. "How so?" he asked pouring himself some tea.

She explained about the rose, her brothers didn't seem to take the news to well. Their eyes were open wide as they listened to every word she said. "Are you serious?" Ryûya asked when she was done.

Yûto looked concerned. "Well no one was hurt were they?"

Ito shook her head.

Ryûya looked at her. "You weren't hurt were you?"

She shook her head as Makoto tried to suppress a laugh at the sight of her overprotective brothers. Ito glared at him so he pretended to choke on a cookie.

Yûto cleared his throat. "Well, it's most likely a harmless prankster but I just want you to keep your eyes out in case the trickster takes it too far, alright?"

Ryûya slammed his fist down on the table. "Yeah! And Makoto I want you to watch out for her!"

Ito got up and slammed her hand on the table, about to protest that she could protect herself just fine, however she ended up hitting the cookie and the tea pot at the same time. The cookies flew all over the place and the tea soaked them at the same rate. They spent the rest of the night cleaning the cookies before Makoto had to go to his apartment for the night.


	3. A New Message

Okay I KNOW this is going to sound terrible but I only finished writing this chapter when I got a review...so if you want me to update sooner...REVIEW...I mean it. I know it sounds bad but honestly unless I get a review in my inbox (which i check regularily) my fanfics will slip my mind.

So please review. Thanks (and don't just go oh there's already 1 for this chapter because I kind of started waiting for others and they never came and that's how it slipped my mind.)

REVIEWS ARE APPRICIATED!

Ok now on to chapter

Chapter 3

"Miss. Itô? Where do you want the costumes?" Toki shouted to the teacher.

Makoto flinched at his voice. He didn't like the idea that Toki would be overseeing much of the performances but he had no choice. So he compromised by making sure Toki was no where near Ito at any time. This was actually a very tricky task. For while he was watching Toki's distance he also had to watch out for a certain masochist wandering around the stage.

"Bring it down to the change rooms!" Toki ordered, and Sakamoto came into the gym pushing a rack of several costumes to the stage doors.

However, he stopped when his eyes landed on Makoto and Ito practicing. He left his rack of expensive costumes right in the middle of the half open doors—never minding that other people were running into it—and joined up with them to say a hello. Of course, Sakamoto's version of _hello_ was a tad different then everybody else's.

Right as Makoto was preparing to faint into Ito's arms, Sakamoto ran in and pushed Ito to the floor so that he could catch the falling Makoto. When Makoto opened his eyes he saw Sakamoto leaning over him.

"Hi!..." He exclaimed through a large smile. As Makoto scrambled up he began to look around for Ito. Meanwhile Sakamoto kept talking. Makoto did not hear any of his words because once he found Ito he was trying to ask her if she was alright but Sakamoto didn't let him go over to see her. "Did you miss me?" He asked and for once Makoto heard his question.

He looked passed Sakamoto's shoulders and saw that Ito was already on her feet. He sighed and knew there was only one way to deal with a masochist like Sakamoto. He cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles before he shouted. "What the hell were you trying to do, interrupting our practice like that?"

Sakamoto was ecstatic that he finally got Makoto's undivided attention. He sighed happily and after he received a well deserved beating from Ito he announced. "The track team is helping the drama club! Isn't it great? Isn't it lovely? I will be able to see both of you, my _soul mates_ for the rest of—"

Unfortunately he was not able to finish his noble anthem of biligimy due to a blow to the head. Makoto sighed, sad that he had not thrown the nurf ball yet relieved that Sakamoto was finally quiet and when he glanced up at Ito he saw the mixed feelings displayed on her face too. They both looked over to where the ball had been thrown and saw an annoyed Toki watching them with his hands on his hips and his foot repeatedly hitting the floor.

"GET A MOVE ON!" he grumbled.

Instantly he ran off to finish his job of moving the costumes. Once he left Toki made his way over to Makoto and Ito.

"Sorry about that idiot. Trust me if we didn't need his help he'd be the first to be kicked out of here." He paused for a moment to shout out a command at a passing first year.

Though it pained Makoto, Ito decided to ask Toki a question and keep their conversation going, resulting in Toki staying that much longer. "Why do we need the track team's help?"

Toki looked around then motioned for Makoto to come closer. "Don't let word get around, Miss. Itô asked the track team to help us because we need a few extra bodies around to make sure our stuff is super protected. Remember the time someone lit the change room on fire? She's afraid the same may happen again. With everyone practicing we can't pay extra attention to all the props, especially the ones not in use so we asked the track team to help us."

Makoto couldn't help himself, he needed to ask a question, even though it meant talking to Toki. "Why the track team?"

He gave a sly smile and his eyes twinkled for a moment. "Can you name any other teams that don't hate us?"

They all shook their heads in despair. Though the drama club did not do anything to the other teams (like try to upset their games) they did put on roughly 4 plays a year. When they did that they had to use the gym on a regular basis and the stage was the best place for any team to practice because it was one of the largest areas. The track team however used the track outside and though it was November they still didn't use the gym for practice; they ran around the school hallways instead.

The conversation was ended very soon (but not without Toki making a few passes at Ito) because Tsugami walked through the door and, without saying a word, demanded everyone's attention. Once she had the flock of idiots she needed she made her grand charitable announcement.

"Yes, it is me! I have come here to help you pesky, untalented, hopeless actors create a play that people will watch...to see me of course. I know that if I'm in it then they'll sit through whatever terrible parts that do not have me in it: just to see me again." She sighed happily, thinking of all the applause she was going to receive for her performance. She then looked to the peeved Miss. Itô. "By the way, what play are we doing and what main role shall I play?"

Before she answered Miss. Itô growled, "I thought _you _were the one who needed community volunteer hours, therefore I am the one doing _you _the favor: am I not?"

The only reply Tsugami had to this was, "Sheesh, you knock out _one_ security guard and suddenly you're in dept to everyone!"

Miss.Itô shoved a play in Tsugami's hands. "Here, we're doing Phantom of the Opera: you're Carlotta."

Tsugami flipped through the book, she nodded as she glanced at her lines. "Okay...okay...sounds good...I'm the best: PERFECT!" Without glancing up she asked, "So...what's the name of the character that Ito will be playing and how is that character associated with me?"

Toki decided to take this one. "She's playing the phantom...she tries to kill you."

Tsugami's eyes widened in excitement. "Oh! Is it because I am her love that can never be and therefore she must kill me so that she can fight her urge to be with me?"

Toki smiled, Tsugami obviously didn't know the script. "Yeah, it's just like in _real _life!"

Tsugami was even more excited to hear this and Makoto backed away as she ran to grip Ito in a tight hug. They all watched silently as Ito rolled her eyes and amazingly could not shake the little twit off.

"Get off! You're making a scene!"

"Didn't you miss me?"

"I visited you up at your camp recently!"

"That was so long ago! I mean what's last weekend anyway? Way to long if you ask me!"

Then their petty argument was drowned out by a terrible scream. Everyone stopped and looked at the doors leaving the gym, even Tsugami stepped off of Ito. Toki took a few steps forward but the thunderous sound of people plummeting at the door made him stop. Ito and Makoto stepped passed him to open the door for the running students. Only to find five of the track team members panting and looking scared out of their minds.

Once they caught their breath Ito bent down and calmly asked them what had happened. A girl waved towards the hallway that lead to the change room. However she did not give any more clue about what had scared them.

Soon Sakamoto slowly entered the gym. He was not in a laughing manner, in fact the serious, mature Sakamoto finally seemed to have arisen from his hyper mask. "You guys had better come look at this."

Ito and Makoto gave a quick glance to each other, knowing that Sakamoto being serious was defiantly a sign of danger. They followed him into the male change room.

They stopped when they saw inscribed over the lockers and back wall in graffiti: THERE'S A BETTER FIT! CHOOSE WISELY!

The words of warning repeated itself all over the place. Sakamoto tried to explain. "I saw it when I got down here, I went to the girls change room to see if anything had happened in there. It hadn't...well not yet. They came in here to get a good look, then they went back into their own change room. The door slammed shut on them: somebody had been in there destroying the place the same way they did it here: worse then that they had locked them in. They screamed and we opened the door for them but by the time we got there there was nobody around who could have locked it."

Makoto and Ito looked to each other, their eyes showed that their fear was the same: someone wanted this play to end real soon.


	4. suspicions rise

Thanks for the review. And here is the chapter:

Chapter 4

"Alright!" Makoto slammed the wad of papers that he had been examining down on the stage. The practice had been cut short but he and Ito had dinner reservations with Akane and Yuto; who were also their ride to the restaurant. The other drama club members had left: some for good. The reminder of the previous vandalism on the club made the younger students scared but the older ones had stayed. They knew that the drama club was stronger then some graffiti punk but even they had gone home for the night. Leaving Ito and Makoto alone in the empty gym to create a list of suspects on the matter.

Makoto scooped up the list again. "So...you're saying the basketball team is in Osaka right now for a tournament: so it can't be them." Ito nodded as Makoto scratched them off the list. They had written all the sport teams that wanted the stage and gym and was crossing most of them off one by one. "And the ping pong team is dead...who would have thought one little ball could do all that?" He shook his head sadly as he put a nice straight line through their name. "Soccer team usually uses the outside field but it is winter and the football team has been hogging the field all fall..." He waited for Ito to comment on them.

It only took her a moment to remember, "They were able to rent the city's indoor field."

Makoto nodded, remembering the excited PA announcement when they had gotten the news. He read over the last few suspects and told them to Ito to get her two cents. "Well...then that leaves the hockey team, gymnastic team, volleyball team, and baseball team."

Ito listened intently but once he was finished she found new ways to knock them all off. "It's winter: the hockey team uses either the outdoor rink or the city indoor rink." Makoto nodded and swiped them off the list. "And the volleyball season is pretty much over except a few city championships but those don't happen here." Another team off. "Our gymnastic team hasn't really been in the school; I think they're out of town too."

Makoto nodded, he hadn't seen the members lately either and assumed the same. "And the baseball team?" Hoping it would help them somehow but Ito shook her head.

"Their season hasn't started up yet and anyway they hate working in the Gym because of the roof."

Makoto dropped the papers again. "Fine, none of the sport teams could have done it. Is there anyone who holds a grudge against us? Any clubs? Teachers? Ripped off costume designers?"

Ito shook her head. "Nope. Most of the art club is on our set crew, most of the computer club is on our tech crew." She thought of other clubs. "The photo club and yearbook committee have nothing against us, sometimes we pose for their pictures. The band is our orchestra...Let's just face it. There are no more clubs that hate us. The others are either apart of the production or just don't affect us at all." She sighed and punched the stage floor. "Its just not fair! I still say we just go around and pound it out of everyone, I'm sure someone knows something!"

"Well that won't solve anything, I'm sure." Makoto told her sternly.

They both stopped talking, trying to find a new person to blame. However none came to mind. Makoto looked over at Ito and suggested that maybe it wasn't a group of people doing this. "Maybe its not even a strike at the drama club."

Ito couldn't comprehend what he was saying. "What do you mean?" she snapped. "Did you not see what was written on the walls? What other club would 'choose wisely' refer to? There's no multiple choice club at our school!"

Makoto sighed, he didn't want to actually say what he thought because he didn't actually want to believe it. Though he tried to sweeten it up by drowning out what he thought it didn't make it any easier for him to say nor did it make it easier for Ito to hear. "I _mean!_ I mean...I mean that maybe it's not a strike at the actually club but two certain individuals _in_ the club...two people with a lot of enemies and unusual problems?"

Ito smiled weakly, she understood what he was saying. "Do you really think that? Think someone may be trying to get at _us_ instead?" He nodded and she began to scratch her head roughly. "Do you think they know? I really don't want them to know! I mean if they just actually know about you then...well what extent do you think they'd go to out you?"

Makoto didn't answer her. He looked away and shrugged but Ito wouldn't let it go. She began to pace across the stage, performing the usual self blame act. Makoto knew that she was talking rubish but he realized he could never get her to reason and so just waited for her to stop before he continued. Once she slumped down again he asked:

"Do you think that I might be right?"

She bit her bottom lip for a few seconds before she looked up at him again, "I don't want to say it but, yes. Someone could be meaning to hurt you...or me...or us." Though it was only a theory and they had no leads yet, she sounded beaten already.


	5. One name off

Hey look, it's an update:) well I would really like to hear what you think of this one, I'm planning to really update more soon with the upcomming chapters. So yes...have fun reading.

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Chapter 5

Makoto gripped the new list tightly in his hands as they made their way out of the gym. He thought over the list again and again, trying to see if there was a way to either take out or add anyone else.

He had really wanted to put down Toki and Sakamoto but Ito had forced him not too. After all, both boys didn't have a reason to do anything like this to the play. However, she did add that if a motive were to come up then they could be suspects too, considering they would be around the gym a lot.

He glanced down at who they did put on the list. Takayo Iizuka, though Makoto doubted it Ito was sure that in the closing days to the graduation that Takayo may become desperate. However he had no doubt in his mind about Takashi Iizuka. He had a feeling that that slim bag had something crawling up his sleeves to destroy this play, just wreck some sort of hazard upon Makoto or Ito. The next person on their list had to do with his father, though it was Ito who suggested the possibility Makoto had a feeling it was one of them. The amount of bodyguards around his apartment had increased recently and he was beginning to see some of his old martial arts students moving into the building. Of course he had not shared this news with Ito yet but had a feeling she already knew. She had stopped asking to visit him at his apartment and had suggested for him to come over to her house more. He smiled up at Ito's back as he wondered if she really knew or if she just enjoyed him more so at her own house. Whichever the reason, it suited him fine.

"Wait a minute!" Ito said as she came to a halt. She Glanced towards her right before she said, "I forgot about her." She pointed at a plaque on a door: Tsubaki Narita. Makoto's eye's opened wide as he stared at the plaque. He was about to argue but Ito looked back at him. "She always wants you to have the best of everything. What if, "There's a better choice" meant a better role for you? She might think that since phantom is in the title it's the main role and she'd want you to have that role instead of Daee."

Makoto sighed. He felt she had some kind of a point, though he hated to admit it. He made a silent prayer that Tsubaki had not gone back on their agreement and was _not_ the one causes the mishaps around the stage. However he knew that the possibility was great and silently added her to the list.

Ito glanced down at her watch. "We still have about twenty minutes before we have to meet Yuto and Akane out front." He glanced up at her to see where she was going. "If Tsubaki's still here we could interrogate her."

He smiled at the creepy twinkle in her eye. He imagined Ito in a long brown trench coat and matching hat, chewing on a large cigar standing in a dark room. Only one light was in the room and it overlooked his older sister as she sat terrified in a chair. Ito would shout out questions and Tsubaki would constantly refuse to answer, as she squinted into the bright light.

Yes, Ito would enjoy inflicting pain such as that onto Tsubaki but he felt that he should make sure that Ito didn't take it too far. "Well, I guess we could, but don't go too hard on her." He insisted, knowing that if Ito killed Tsubaki all chances of him leaving home will die with her. Ito tried to assure him but she was too excited about her grand entrance as a top investigator for him to believe her.

Ito happily turned the door knob to Tsubaki's room but stopped. She turned it again and again, and jerked it back and forth. Finally Makoto realized that she wasn't going to stop until he pointed out the obvious. "It's locked."

She turned to him, still jerking the doorknob, "I _know _that."

"Then why are you still trying to open it?"

She looked down at her hand clasped around the door knob: "I don't know." She admitted. He patted her back as she banged her head against the door. "Gah! I thought we were close to figuring this damn thing OUT!"

"I know, it's awful, but you never know, one of our other suspects might turn out to be guilty."

She shook her head, the whole thing was stressful on her and ticked her off. He knew she had wanted an easy way out of this mess but didn't know what to tell her: he was having the same doubts. They both collapsed on the floor, their backs against the wall, neither one saying a word. Their thoughts were on the drama club and what would happen to it.

Ito was irritatingly drumming her fingers across her her knee and Makoto went over the list constantly, wondering if there had been _some_ kind of a loop hole. Neither of them noticed the young man walk by them or stare at them for five minutes. They did however notice his annoying Kermit the frog voice, which was loud and clear and stung their ears.

"Uh...are you two here to see Narita-Sempai?"

They jumped up and looked at the short man before them. He wasn't much older then either of them but he did seem to act like he had some authority over the school in the way he briskly walked down the hall as he lead them to Tsubaki. He had a pot of coffee in his hand and explained to them that Tsubaki was working hard on in-term reports and was very busy, but she would probably spare a few moments to see them. He opened the door to a small computer lab that was made only for teachers. Tsubaki was the only teacher in the small room, she sat in front of a computer with a pile of folders beside her.

Her face was buried inside one of the folders as she muttered to herself, "I know there's an A in here, there's got to be...he's too good looking to fail...20...50..50...45...AHAH! 90! Found it!" she shouted triumphantly as she began to write a comment on the screen. The young man came up to her and gave her the pot of coffee.

"Thanks Sahara-san!" She poured her self a cup and gabbed a bit to Sahara before he pointed out Makoto and Ito. Tsubaki glanced up at them then back down at Sahara's head. Tactfully she poured the rest of the coffee on her keyboard. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed as she pretended to wipe a an ounce of sweat from her brow. "How could I be so clumsy, and with the deadline so close!"

He unplugged the keyboard and told her he'd just hook up a new keyboard from one of the other computers. She thanked him and as his back was turned she signaled to Makoto for one more minute. Once Sahara was finished he backed away but she held out the coffee pot again. "I'm afraid that I'm going to need some more coffee."

Sahara looked at the coffee pot and sighed. "But I just made that pot...it takes that coffee machine ten minutes to _heat _up, let alone actually boil the water and then mix the coffee grounds in it."

"Well then, I suggest you'd better start." He reluctantly accepted and left the room with his head held low. Once the door was closed Tsubaki pushed two chairs out from around her and motioned them to sit. "Oh, aren't student teacher's just dolls? I mean check that one out! If it weren't for his voice and height he'd be a stud!"

Makoto did not want to hear about his sister's obsession with younger men and so resorted to very low measures to get her onto his topic. "Please, Tsubaki-_chan_. Ito and I, I'm afraid, are limited with our time that we can spare for you."

She stopped gazing at the door the moment he had said chan. "Why, Makoto, what's wrong?" She asked, becoming calm and serene.

Ito had been furiously tapping her foot this entire time and snapped their questions without any explanation to Tsubaki before hand. "Did you do it? Huh? You're always here! You must have! What was your motive?"

Tsubaki blinked and opened her mouth in dumbfounded belief . She looked at Makoto who was already trying to get Ito to calm down. "Let me explain. There's a lot of _things _happening around the stage that will be preventing our play from going as well as we had hoped. Now, I know you don't believe in my career choice and since you are a teacher here, we were just wondering if you knew anything about it."

She smiled a content smile, mischievously looking back at Makoto then Ito. "So, you think I'm doing it."

Makoto shook his head and held up his hands in defence. "No, no...nothing like that!"

"YES." Ito stated. Makoto turned to face her but she wasn't smiling, she didn't even look mad. Her face was blank and he couldn't tell what she was thinking. "So...did you do it?"

Tsubaki looked over Ito and raised an eyebrow. Obviously she had never seen this Ito before and was intrigued, as was Makoto. "No, actually Miura, I didn't. I haven't been up to anything sinister for awhile."

"SO you don't know anything?" Her eyebrow twitched as she tried to get something out of Tsubaki.

Tsubaki on the other hand calmly shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't even know you were doing a new play. I couldn't even tell you_ what _play you were doing. I've been far too busy in here to notice."

Makoto looked over at her then looked around the office. There were empty cups and snack wrappers scattered around, piles of papers, piles of unmarked tests as well as projects. "So you've been stuck in here for awhile huh?"

"Yeah, I've been staying about two sometimes four hours after school each night then I go home and plan my wedding. I've been pretty damn busy but don't worry Makoto I'll make sure to see the play."

He nodded before he turned to look at Ito. She seemed satisfied with Tsubaki's answer but did look ticked again that their search had yielded them to nothing. They began to head out of the office and down the stairs to the front lobby. Both of them saying that they couldn't believe Tsubaki had anything to do with it.

They entered the fall scene outside with some new ideas in mind. They would start doing stake outs outside the gym and around the stage. As they were talking about this Ito saw Yuto smoking at the edge of the school's property. He motioned them over and they jogged up to see if anything was wrong.

"Weren't you supposed to work till after four?" Ito asked, glancing down at her watch to see that it was only ten after four.

"No, I said I'd _be_ after four." He assured her as he threw his cigarette down.

Makoto had already glanced around the parking lot of the school and hadn't seen his sister. "Weren't you and Akane supposed to come together?"

Yuto smiled and headed towards the car. "Actually, she called and told me she was running late, apparently her model's being a complete _ass_. Anyway, what took you _two_ so long? Not another mishap with the play, I hope."

Ito nodded and told Yuto what had happened as he began to head towards his car. After he made sure that Ito had not been any way hurt during the ordeal he started the car and headed down the road. "Don't worry." He said to both of them, once he saw how low their spirits were. "I'm sure the school or your director will find the culprit. They must not think it's too serious because no one's been hurt yet. But after this vandalism, I can't see them overlooking it as just some prankster."

Makoto nodded, he really didn't want to think that the possibility of the school catching the culprit was very slim and he certainly didn't want to make Yuto worry any more about Ito. So he quietly said, "I hope you're right." with a slight glance at the questioning Ito.

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So what did you think? Do you think Makoto and Ito have the right list? or should they add a few more people to it? I'd like to hear what you think. 


	6. A new battle begins

Remember: More reviews means more updates. I'm sorry for asking but I really like hearing about what people think of my stories. Well, enjoy (i hope)

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Chapter 6

"Why don't you look at me anymore?" Ito asked as she gently pulled a strand of Makoto's hair, who keeled before her his hand over his eyes.

He kept his eyes on the ground and hushed his voice lower then a whisper. "I don't know if I can trust you any more." Ito bent down to be face to face with Makoto. Nervously her hand brushed against Makoto's cheek but Makoto smiled and gripped her hand in his. "Everything I've ever done was for you."

Ito stopped and glared at him. "That was _my_ line!"

"But you were taking too long!" He chuckled, knowing that Ito had taken her time because she was nervous. She may be nervous at most intimate times but she was getting better.

They both collapsed on the gym floor, knowing full well that the other group members were giving them odd looks. They were running lines together and found it was getting to late to go over all the serious lines.

In fact they were turning the play into a comedy when Miss. Itô called him over to the door. She informed him that Akane was there and needed to speak with him. He left to greet her, knowing full well what she was doing there. As he left though, he saw Toki strut over to Ito and didn't have a chance to warn her but figured that he wouldn't try anything with Miss. Itô around.

He went to the door to grab the make up bag he had left at Akane's house the previous night after dinner.

"By the way." She said, holding out a long black skirt and a beige cardigan. "I found these at my studio, I think they're your size and the model who was using them is _not _coming back."

He smiled and took the outfit. "Thank you, Akane."

"Not a problem." She said as she left to go visit Tsubaki.

Makoto sized up the skirt and cardigan to himself, feeling thankful towards his sister for giving him some new clothes. Once he was sure they fit he put them into his school bag and then retreated towards where he had left Ito. However once he got there he couldn't find her. He looked up on stage and all around the gym but she wasn't there. Finally he began to ask their friends and other group members where she had gone but only Misaki was able to give him some news to her whereabouts: news that Makoto had not wanted to hear.

"I saw her and Toki-sempai go back stage. Probably to move some sets or something."

Makoto began towards the stage but once he got up on it he saw Toki in the gym, talking to some of the younger girls. "What the...then where's Ito?"

A stage hand had heard him muttering to himself and glanced over at him. "Ito? She's the phantom right? She went home."

"I left for two minutes and she goes home?"

He shrugs. "Her and Toki got into a fight. It was pretty heavy, I wouldn't have been surprised if they had ended up killing each other in the end."

Makoto nodded but looked over at Toki, still chatting it up with several girls. Wondering what he had said to set Ito off.

He decided to leave the meeting too. He informed Miss. Itô that he was exhausted before he made his way down to the change rooms. As he opened his locker and gathered his books he noticed that Ito's locker was ajar and that her jacket still hung on the hook. It had snowed lightly that morning but now it seemed to come down even harder. She'd need her coat if she had left the school.

He decided to go and find her but didn't have to look very far. He heard somebody kicking the dryer in an adjacent room off the change room and found Ito right away. She was muttering to herself but stopped when Makoto made his presence known.

He walked up to her and asked what she was doing. She heaved a heavy sigh before jumping up on the washing machine. It was then that he noticed she was wearing a new shirt. "What happened to your other shirt?"

"It got wet." she pointed to the dryer that hummed loudly over them. "My pants did too but I only have an extra shirt, no extra pants."

Makoto nodded and leaned up against the washing machine. "Why was your shirt wet?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"I shot a pail of soapy water at Toki and he caught it and shot it back at me. I can't believe he didn't get wet but of course _I _do."

Makoto nodded, and pretended to be sincere but couldn't manage it. "Why were you with Toki?" he asked a bit harsher then he had intended.

Ito shrugged and said it was safe. "It's not like we were alone or anything. He wouldn't try anything on me with others watching."

"You guys went back stage, the set crew and actors saw you. Everyone's so busy that you two _would _have been alone back there."

"So what if we were. He still didn't try anything. I'm perfectly fine." she protested, beginning to get very defensive but Makoto didn't care about that. He wanted to make his point very clear.

"Ito, do you not understand how you can't trust him?"

She was getting angry and snapped at Makoto."You know what? I can! I can take care of myself and I don't need you criticizing me every time I try to talk to him. He's not that bad of guy and as long as I have my guard up I can handle anything he throws at me. So stay out!" He looked up at her, speechless. He hadn't thought that she would get so angry at him.

"Ito, I'm sorry but..."

" Look!" She cried. "We were just talking...about the play. I don't want you to think that I have to watch myself around him all the time. Toki is a friend, he might be a womanizer but he's still a good friend to me and every other damn person in this club. Okay? Maybe it's just something you'd understand if you were here before."

Makoto felt the ice cold knife stab his heart but didn't let it faze him. He regretted not knowing everyone in his first year but there was nothing he could do about that. He sighed and apologized for jumping to conclusions. She leaned down to give him a small hug but as she did the dryer sounded and she hopped off to retrieve her shirt.

That's when it hit Makoto. "Wait, if you two were only talking, then why did the set crew tell me you two were fighting back stage?"

"We weren't."

"Then why did you shoot a bucket full of water at him?"

She pulled up straight but didn't turn to look at him. She paused for a second to make sure her shirt was dry before she said. "We weren't really _fighting;_ per say. We just had a...disagreement. About costumes. And...well you know how I can snap for no reason."

He nodded and backed out of the laundry room to give her some privacy to change. Knowing full well that what she had said was a flat out lie.

* * *

Oh ho...trouble in paradise. 

I know I made Ito a bit out of her rambunctous charactor here but I've noticed that sometimes she'd become a bit sly and mysterious every now and then (remember book nine? where she had to hide the play from Makoto?)

So yes, what do you think Ito and Toki were talking about? Or about the story? Please review.


	7. A note

Okay, I know that not a lot of people have actually read Gaston Laroux's novel phantom of the opera and have only seen either the play or movie and so I think i should explain something that is different between the two that I have mentioned in this chapter.

In the book the phantom had friends! Other ghost friends.A girlfriend andsome peers,he'd watch plays with them then comment on it. So justthat I don't get all sorts of reviews saying that he was a loner, there's my excuse.

by the way there is no updates until I get atleast one review. I mean, it takes three minutes for you to say SOMETHING about a chapter that I work more then an hour on. So I have the chapters I'm waiting for the reviews, and remember to thank Jaded Image for this chapter: she's the reason this is going up.

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Chapter 7 

A few days passed and Ito and Makoto were able to put Toki-Sempai out of their minds. After all, they did have a performance and so far nothing too bad had happened to their play again. There seemed to be some technical difficulites revolving around someodd back noises over the speakersbut that was nothing the crew could not handle. Thus, the actors had been given plenty of time to rehearse. However, with Miss. Itô concerning herself with the lights not every actor was rehearsing. In the end, Makoto and Ito had to go out in the hallway just to get enough peace to rehearse. Unfortunately no matter where they went Sakamoto followed, until he was called for track practise (promising Ito and Makoto that he'd return).

While they were gone a second year student smuggled in some sake and was causing quite an uproar with it between all of the drama club members. Most of the first years were anxious about the booze, they feared getting caught holding it but were intensely curious of the drink. The second years were all for downing it while the third years were completely against it (of course Tsugami didn't care either way because she was of age). Yôshiro finally slammed his foot down and shouted, "What the HELL were you thinking bringing that crap in here!"

The boy shrugged and held up his hands."I was thinking, 'Yay, sake?" the obliterate second year claimed, he did not see the problem in bringing the substance in.

Yôshiro, on the other hand, did. He constantly asked the kid what he was doing with the stuff in the first place but couldn't get an answer out of him. Meanwhile Nobuko and Misaka left to tell Ito about thesecond year: knowing full well that telling Miss. Itô would result in a suspension.

Of course, the moment that Ito had heard the entire story she was off to the stage to find the little smuggler. She stormed onto the stage and only took one look around to see Yoshiro holding the bottle of sake above his head as he held the boy who brought them tightly against the wall. There was an open box in the middle of the gym containing more bottles but what really got to Ito was the sight of one of the first years holding the bottle up to her eyes as she tried to open it up for her friend.

Instantly Ito jumped down off the stage and rushed to the first year, gripping the bottle tightly she pushed the kid down with her left foot, using her right to keep her balanced. With the air of pure fear around her she looked to each drama club member.

"Who's sake is this?" She growled as she awaited their answer. One by one the kids backed away from the bottles of sake, leaving a huge open space in front of Ito. She asked again and this time Yôshiro pushed the terrified kid towards Ito. There was a giggle from Tsugami who whispered, "Now you've done it." But no one listened to her, their eyes were all on Ito and she was glaring at the kid.

She took one step towards him, slumped down, shoved the sake almost up his nose, and growled the question that Yôshiro was trying to get out of him for about ten minutes. "Where did you get this, brat?"

Instantly he shuttered and broke down in front of Ito. "I...don't know." His voice higher than the squeek of a mouse.

She pushed him backwards and got up, holding the bottle in front of her. "Do you have _any_ idea what bringing shit like this into the club would do to us? If any of the teachers found out our funding would be cut! No more club! So—_don't pull this crap!_" She threw the bottle at him, it landed square on his stomach (if it had shattered then Miss. Itô might have said something). "Now, who's is it?"

"I don't know."

She shoved the bottle closer to the boy who squirmed and tried to look away from it but she continued to prob him. That's when Makoto decided to come in and put his hand gently on Ito's shoulder.

"Please Ito, be kind. You've already put a lot of weight on him saying that the club could dispatch because of his misdeed." he glanced at the boy who opened his eyes wide, realizing why the third years were so mad at him.

Makoto had signaled for Ito to follow him out of the gym but the boy shouted from his spot on the ground. "B—bu—but-- It's not _mine!" _Everyone turned back to look at him but he wasn't staring at them: he was looking behind him at the door. "I found it outside the door...like someone had left it there!"

"A whole box of sake?" Makoto questioned, glancing at the disbelieving Ito as he did so.

Yôshiro walked up to the kid and shook his head. "Look, just drop it before Miss. Itô hears us. We know it was you. No idiot would leave something like _that_ in the school."

"Well you weren't the one who found it!" He stood up and stood his ground. "Trust me! I was coming into the drama club right through those doors. I heard something drop and thought that ditz from the track team was dropping our props. When I got there, there was no one but a box. I only brought it in because I thought it was a prop or a lighting equipment! That's when some first years came and opened it. That's all I know what happened."

"Are you telling the truth?" Ito asked, much more calmly then before. The boy seemed a bit flushed but awkwardly nodded to signal yes.

Makoto glanced at Ito, knowing precisely what she was thinking. The boy had made an honest mistake but if anyone had tipped a teacher off that the junk was in the gym and the drama club had brought it in: they would be framed and would be liable for punishment. He made sure everyone was focused on their tasks before he suggested. "Your idea that someone wants the club to end?"

She nodded and began to scratch her head. "But, I just don't know _who! _It's a pretty drastic thing to do." She muttered.

Makoto agreed. "I don't think anyone would really want to go that far...well Takashi already has gone that far once but I don't know if his guards would go through that again. After all, Miss. Itô did call the cops."

Ito nodded and sighed. She raised her arms over her head to stretch them out. "It just ticks me off!"

Makoto smiled and gave a short chuckle, "Me too, but I'm sure we can figure it out."

"PERFECT!" Miss. Itô's voice rang from the top of the overlooking hallway above the gym. "EVERYTHING IS SET!" she cried down to the actor's. "Can somebody shut the lights on the stage and gym?"

Nabuko went and turned them off. The tech crew turned on the spot light and the other colour lights. There were a few test scenes where Miss. Itô got Ito and Makoto to set up just to get the lights at the right angles then they were done.

"I'll be down there guys in a moment, Nobuko get the lights!"

"Alright, Miss. Itô!"

It took a few moments but by the time Miss. Itô was in the gym again the florescent lights had kicked in. The cast were around her, all hoping that if they were keeping her occupied she wouldn't notice the open box in the gym.

"Now, has everyone rehearsed?"

They all shook their heads, no. "I thought so. Well, I've sent the tech crew home and the gym is still empty...so as punishment: TWENTY LAPS around the gym!" A groan erupted from the group but Miss. Itô reminded them she had given them time to practise and they abused it.

Just as everyone began to run the lights in the gym went out. Miss. Itô called out to Nobuko but she was standing right beside her. "Then who shut the lights?" She looked up to the gallery where the tech crew had been moments before and called out. No one was there.

"EEEK!" a first year cried out. Everyone turned to her but stopped and gave a cry of their own.

Something had brushed by everyone, causing a cool chill to run down their spines.

The moment Ito felt the brush of the material against her arm she lashed out her other arm and grasped a piece of cloth. _Now I've got you! _She thought, however in an instant she felt someone's hand grip her's and force her to let go of the cloth she held. The grip was so forceful she made a yelp of her own. Makoto came to her aid but the grip on her hand was already gone. Suddenly the lights began to kick in again and Miss. Itô walked out from the back of the stage.

The moment she jumped down from the stage everyone began to ask her what had happened. She shook her head, saying she was in no position to answer. She was about to speak again when something caught her eye. Makoto noticed her stare and looked beside him to Ito: an envelope was in her hand.

Itowas just as shocked as everyone else. In the confusion to get the hand off of her wrist she hadn't noticed the envelope being shoved in her hand. Miss. Itô stepped towards Ito and held out her hand for the envelope.

Miss. Itô opened the enveloped that was addressed to the _'Drama Club'_, there was a simple letter in it. She scanned it over then looked over at everyone's questioning faces with a sigh, "It appears we are not alone in our practises anymore, students."

Misaki shook her head, asking what everyone was thinking, "What do you mean?"

Miss. Itô held out the letter, allowing Misaki to read it. She cleared her throat and began:

"_Dear members of the drama club,_

_I am afraid that you being here has begun to start an uproar with myself and my comrades up here. We have seen quite enough of your attempts at a performance and cannot stand by as you ruin the name of the theatre. I do, of course, have some suggestions that will improve your production. _

The first I have tried to make clear on a number of occasions but it appears I am not with the highly developed individuals I am accustomed too. My cries through the equipment, and the crime of vandalizing your locker rooms seemed to have been in vain. Now, I seem to have to be as blunt as possible. I believe that the pure, innocent role of Christine Daee is not suited for one, Makoto Amano but for that of Ito Miura. On the contrary, the deceitful character of the phantom should go to one who knows how to deceive those close to her very well.

Ito and Makoto exchanged looks. Whoever was writing the letter knew about Makoto. Misaki continued but everyone began to eye Makoto nervously, questioning the author.

"_Yes, indeed, Makoto Amano would be a much better choice for the role of the Phantom. _

_I also advice you not to allow that runner to sit on your props or allow students to bring such alcoholic beverages to practise. As such we have taken the illegal substance and are using it in an attempt to forget your dreadful performance. _

Remember, time is running out, if you do not do a performance to my liking I will cause the drama club such misery the only option you will have is to disband.

_Please, take my words to heart. _

_Oh, and by the way, you owe me an allowance for taking such good care of your stage when you go home for the night. I'll accept payment by the end of this week._

_**The Theatre's Ghost**"_

A hush fell over the usually loud group. Everyone turned to Miss. Itô, who had been smoking a cigarette the entire time Misaki had read. Finally she looked up at them all and shrugged. "Well...isn't that interesting?"

"Whoever it is is trying to make us look stupid." the snob I had mentioned in chapter one boasted.

Miss. Itô looked behind her and saw a bottle of sake on the stage. "It appears that whoever this is, is correct." The snob was about to protest but Miss. Itô was strangely quiet as she held the bottle in her hand that the boy shut his mouth. Finally Miss. Itô looked up at her students. "You know what? There has been something wrong with our performance that I haven't been able to fix. Makoto-chan, Ito-san? What would you two think if you did switch roles?"

They looked at each other and shrugged. Since they always rehearsed together, they both knew each other's role like the back of their hands, so they agreed to the arrangement: hoping to take some stress off their drama coach. Miss. Itô thanked them then turned back to everyone else.

"The club is dismissed but tomorrow we're going through the scrip from beginning to end: I don't care how long it takes: you're getting it right! And as punishment for bringing sake to practise: we're doing it outside!"

"But, they're calling for snow tomorrow!" Tsugamiperked up as Miss. Itô made her way to the door.

Miss. Itô turned to her and gave a dark look to her. "That's you're problem!" She said before she left the group to leave the gym and change.

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So remember about the reviews and have I hope you liked it! 


	8. No more talk of darkness

Hey thank yo uso much for the reviews guys, as promised here's chapter 8. Please review. that way you can get to see what happens in chapter 9 and eventually see who the phantom is.

By the way, I'd like to see if anyone knows who the phantom is, it would be really cool if you guys could just tell me who you think it is.Please? that would count as review. eh I hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 8

Ito opened the door to the change room the next day and happily asked, "Who's ready for our outdoor practice?"

Makoto looked over the row of lockers at her. "I'm the only one here Ito, looks like you and I were the only two females who decided to show for practice."

"What?" she dropped her bag on the bench and opened her locker to retrieve her deodorant. Quickly she changed shirts but spoke to Makoto as she did so. "You're kidding me! I just went to the gym and only Nobuko and Misaki were there with Yôshiro. Looks like a lot of the first years decided to skip. I figured Tsugami wouldn't bother to show." She added as she straightened up to find her shorts. Once she did she sat back down to put them on and asked, "Did you happen to notice any of the second years come in?"

Makoto replied with a soft no.

Ito grumbled and began searching for her socks. Makoto took this as his sign to come out, knowing full well that Ito always put her socks on last. He leaned against a locker, his hair extensions in his hand and some Bobbie pins in his mouth. He began pulling his hair back in a ponytail as he spoke. "I think some kids may have decided to call it quits on the club."

Ito turned to face him. "What do you mean? One sign of danger and everyone ups and quits? No way!"

Makoto shrugged. "Some people remember the fiasco of last year, remember at the cultural festival? They're just afraid of what will come out of it."

Ito turned her back on him and squeezed her knees close to her chest. Makoto watched her silently as she quietly asked, "So, what do we do now?"

He walked over to her and gently let his arms slip around her neck. "We stick to our club. Ito, it's much too early to give up on everyone. We can get them back…and we will, real soon."

She glanced up and smiled. "Thanks, you're right. They've got to come back."

Makoto smiled and leaned his head forward, she raised her head so that their lips touched. The kiss lasted only a second, with a flushed Ito pulling away, claiming it wasn't safe for Makoto to act so freely in the girl's change room.

He smiled and agreed, getting up to wait for Ito at the door. She ran up and squeezed his hand gently before dragging him up the stairs to the gym. Once they walked into the moderately empty gym Ito realized she didn't have her shoes on.

"I'll go get them, Ito. You start the club up; make sure to raise everyone's spirits!" With that he left to go to the change room, finding her shoes where she left them under the bench.

Cheerfully he shook his head at how forgetful Ito had been however that happy feeling did not last for long. The moment he got up to the top step he peered through the crack between the double doors to see Ito and Toki talking with each other. Ito's arms were crossed around her chest and Toki was constantly leaning over her to talk. It was only when they were about a two feet from the door that Makoto could hear them clearly.

"I already said, _no!" _Ito hissed.

"But it would work out _so well_!" He assured her through his gritted teeth.

"No! Besides it would be pointless because I have no desire to go to your College!"

Toki had Ito backed up to a wall now and angrily caged her in between the wall and himself. "Ito, at my college you can have _so many_ acting opportunities, practically handed to you. No struggling, just real theatre's hoping to support upcoming actors. If you join some theatre troupe there's no telling when your next gig will be."

"I don't care, Toki. It's my decision."

"Look, we're holding auditions for the college's play next week. Try out, you're a shoe in! Once they see your talent you've got a guarantee entry into the college."

She gripped his arm and pushed him away. "Not interested."

Toki actually took the hint and walked away. However Ito was depressed about the whole affair, Makoto could tell. So he opened the door and decided to make her talk.

"I've got your shoes!"

Ito lashed out her arms and snatched the shoes to hastily put them on. Makoto watched as she began to tie them and decided to get the talk over with before they left.

"So I now see what you and Toki were arguing about but what I don't see," Ito's back stiffened as she listened to him. She turned to stare at him as he finished, "is why you didn't say anything about this the other day when I had asked you."

Ito shrugged and stayed where she was on the ground.

He stumped down to be at eye level with her. "Ito, I wish you'd tell me why you didn't want to tell me. It really made me worry."

She looked up at him and smiled. "I really think you know why I didn't tell you."

He sighed and pecked her quickly on the cheek. "I know. It's because you didn't want Toki to be a suspect and now he has a motive."

Ito shook her head. "No, no matter how much he wants me at his college, he wouldn't stoop to that level. He loves drama, in all its forms."

"Ito, I don't want to put him on our list but he is more suspicious than any of the other people on our list!"

"Yeah…not only does he have a reason…but he wasn't there yesterday when all that crap happened." She sighed. Makoto put his arm across her shoulders and tried to comfort her. Finally Ito leaned into his chest and agreed. "Fine! Put his name down…as much as I hate to admit it…it could be him."

Makoto said he would before he helped her up but he could tell that Ito still didn't seem too happy. "You know...Sakamoto wasn't there yesterday." He said as heleaned against the gym. Although he thought it would cheer her up the moment she asked what Sakamoto's motive would have been he fell silent. He had forgetten that detail. "Well...maybe he secretly hates the drama club."

Again his attempts to make her take her mind off Toki seemed to be in vein but then she looked up at him and asked a question that almost stunned him. "Have you seen Takashi recently?"

Makoto thought hard and realized he hadn't seen him in more than a week. "Actually I think the last time I saw him was that time you and I had walked over to your house."

Ito nodded. "I'm just wondering where he's been." She began to pace as she thought over the Iizuka siblings. "I mean, let's just think about all this for a second. Who ever is doing this would have had tohave known what play we were doing_before_wetold all the students. Only Yushiro, Miss Itô and myself knew that before the play began because all of the tricks seem to be associated with the play a bit."

Makoto nodded. "He couldn't have just picked up a script that first day because the first day that flower was drawn on the curtain. The flower is a minuscule detail in the play. "

Ito nodded. "Who ever we're dealing with either knew we were doing the Phantom of the Opera or they read the script before the first practice. So I can't see it being Sakamoto because he doesn't know anything about our plays."

"Yeah, I also can't see him reading anything." Ito gave him a look and Makoto smiled to show he was joking around. "Okay not the time, I know. But I think Sakamoto should be off too…Whoever it is has to be able to purchase alcohol."

Ito nodded. "I was just gunna say that."

They fell silent. Makoto was about to tell Ito they'd better head out when they heard footsteps. It echoed throughout the high ceiling room. They could not tell which direction the footsteps were coming from and so both stood close, their backs together moving around to search. The echoes dimmed as Ito shoved her elbow into Makoto's back to whisper, "Nabuko's here!"

She waved to them from the gym's opening. "Hey! You two are here, Miss Itô wants the props from scene one, can you two grab them?"

Ito nodded and got up on stage, Makoto waited for Nabuko to leave before he got up on stage. "Well thank God nobody saw how dumb we just looked."

Ito laughed. "Yeah, we'd be the laughing stock of the entire school. Afraid of footsteps: please!" She said as she came out, her arms full of bed sheets and a pillow. The first scene took place in the ballerinas' bedroom, and the young girls spoke of all the mishap happening around the theatre.

Makoto took the sheets from Ito. "Are you okay to get the cots?"

Ito shouted out a yes but he heard something fall and had to ask again. Ito came out with one fake mattress. It was a light weight cot but they had about four of them for the first scene. "I'll just have to move the prop table to get the others."

Makoto nodded and began to fold the sheets so that they could bring them out neatly instead of the mess that Ito had given to him. He was surprised to see how many holes were on the old bed sheets, but they were sheets that had been donated by the student body so they were lucky to even have them. As he folded them the lights went out. He called out Ito's name but she was on the right side of the stage: the lights were on the left.

He stood up and heard a loud thump. "Ito?" He called again but stopped when he felt something run past him. He grabbed out for the thing but had to let go when he heard Ito scream. It was a short scream and was followed by a loud thump but it shocked Makoto, for he had never heard her scream: ever.

He quickly ran over to where he had last seen Ito but could not find her. "Ito? Ito?" he called out again and again. But suddenly the lights went back on and he could see her , under a lot of old costumes.

He walked over to her and helped her up. He searched her face but couldn't tell if she was okay, she did seem rather flushed. "Are you alright?" he asked, she nodded but looked away to search for something.

She grabbed the large, harry mask that had been used for their small production of beauty and the beast. "I don't know why but in the dark this falling on you is kind of creepy."

Makoto nodded. "I figured it would." As he grabbed the other two cots he asked. "So what happened exactly?"

Ito shrugged, saying she was moving the table then felt something move behind her, pushing the costums on her. She moved to get out of the way but felt the beast'sface and it scared her because she thought she had touched the phantom's head. She was spooked to the point that she fell right into thecostume rack.

Makoto began to tell her what he had felt when they walked to the centre of the stage. That's when he saw the sheets were gone. He pointed it out to Ito and she began looking around for them but to no avail.

"What will we do?" She asked frantically as she came out from behind the back drop with no sheets.

Makoto had no answer, nothing other than, "We have to find this phantom soon." Ito nodded but both of them knew how hard that mission would be.

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so please review. THank you. 


	9. Stay by my side, guide me

_so please review...bye :D_

Chapter 9

Although the news of the stolen sheets were hastly told to Miss. Itô the news did not seem to stress her. Not as much as the absense of students. She could take props missing, she could take unusual notes but she could not allow the students to leave the club. She had cancelled the practise almost immediately and told the ten members who did show up to go home and barate the others. Makoto and Ito had to return some of the props to the prop table behind the stage. They had noticed the locker where they kept the costumes for their current plays had been forced open. The odd thing was nothing had been stolen.

As the days passed the events became odder but the cast and crew were more concerened with trouble brewing onstage rather than anything the phantom did.

"Why do I have to do a romance scene with Yoshiro?" Ito asked, not liking the new roles very much.

Miss Itô shook her head; Makoto could tell she was getting frustrated with Ito constantly asking this question. "Just pretend it is Makoto-san." She was stressed out as it was with the sheets being stolen the day before she did not need her lead actress to start complaining about the role.

Makoto laughed. He found it funny how much playing the part with Yoshiro bothered Ito. Yoshiro, who was assigned the role of Raoul, was surprisingly a good choice for Raoul and when Makoto asked him why it has been no surprise: he could relate to him because of the trouble he had in telling Misaki how he felt. His character didn't really question his love for Christine, as Yoshiro had done, but Christine would constantly push him away, like Misaki, and his messages of love had trouble reaching her.

She never used to have trouble with playing romance scenes with him but recently both of them had become a bit more shy in their romance scenes. Makoto figured it had something to do with the fact that now both of them had their own love lives off the stage, and with both of their love partners being in the drama club, it made them uneasy about acting out romance scenes in front of them. However, Yoshiro was a bit better at hiding his embaressment than Ito (most likely because Misaki gave him a good lecture) .

Makoto saw Yoshiro's true, gentle, nature shine on stage as he rehearsed with Ito. Although she blushed like crazy hearing him say the sweet, soft, words of Raoul.

"Oh come on Ito!" Yoshiro began to protest against her. "How come you can do romance scenes with a girl but not a boy!"

Makoto saw the cheery read spread over her cheeks and she turned away from Yoshiro. "It's just…I can't do it with _you_!"

Yoshiro threw his script down to the stage. "Let's just get a _new_ Christine, Miss Itô! I'm sure I can do this scene fine with Misaki!"

Miss. Itô shook her head, "Nope, sorry I can't have anything that conflicting on stage. Besides, it's been known that if people are in a romantic relationship off stage it doesn't carry well on the stage. The chemistry between them is gone!"

Makoto raised his eyebrows about this new information as he wondered how Ito and he appeared on stage. He raised his head back as he looked up at the curtains, he was sitting right under them, if they were to have another fiasco like on the first practise: he'd be dead.

Even worse would be if it happened on the day of the show. This was his precise spot where he had to be for act two scene one. He had to slouch in front the Styrofoam gargoyle on the left of the stage. Yoshiro confessed his love to Christine in centre and vowed to protect her from the phantom, soon Misaki, who played one of Christine's friends would enter, tell them both to come back inside. Once all three had left it was time for Makoto to give his monologue.

However, it seemed that they would never get to his monologue. Ito was still having trouble standing beside Yoshiro while he spoke of love. Makoto could sense the trouble everyone else felt about this scene and so, asked Miss. Itô for a five minute break, saying he may be able to help Ito.

Miss. Itô allowed it and soon Makoto was outside, at the front entrance, with Ito at his side. He turned to her and asked what the problem was. She answered that she just could not do the scene with Yoshiro. "I just can't see _him_ saying stuff like _that _to me!"

Makoto nodded, he thought that would be the problem. Ito and Yoshiro could only do love scenes together if they were fraud and were only for satire.

_Remember, time is running out, if you do not do a performance to my liking I will cause the drama club such misery the only option you will have is to disband._

The words from the note echoed in Makoto's mind as he watched Ito on stage. He could not allow the club to disband. Ito could do these scenes, he knew it, she was just having a few problems. He had to correct those problems before the actual play. He asked for Miss. Itô's permission and soon Ito and himself began to head to the front doors. Only stopped three times by Sakamoto, who wanted a hug from each of them because the drama club had been too hard on him for sitting on the props (however, at the time he had not complained about any of the beatings he had recived from the group).

Once they were outside, Makoto found himself suggesting what Miss. Itô had suggested. "Why don't you just pretend it is with me?"

She let out a large sigh. "Because you're still on stage, I know that you're there." She began to walk a bit as she continued. "On all the other romance scenes I can pretend he's you because you're not on stage so it's not like I'm confessing my love to somebody else and you're standing there listening. I can image him being you since you're not there, I guess when you're there...reality sets in." She sat down on the frozen ground before adding. "If that makes any sense."

Makoto sighed and sat down. "I guess it does. If we're not playing the scene together I just image that whoever I'm playing it with is you and that's how I can get through most of the scenes. However, I have had more trouble when both the real you and the person I'm pretending is you are both on stage."

Ito nodded and looked to the ground, the play was going bad enough without her being able to act. Makoto kneeled down to be at eye level with her. "But…" he said in a happier voice, hoping she'd look up quicker. "I've managed to stop that."

Ito raised her eyebrows and turned her whole body to look at him. "Andhow'd you dothat?"

Makoto smiled slyly and pushed Ito's hair out of her face. He leaned in closely, his smile widened with every word he said. "You've already seen it. I image my stage. Only you and I can stand on that stage and so it doesn't matter who I'm saying my lines with, I can only see you. You alone on stage with me and the audience below us."

He felt Ito nod and felt relieved. "I guess I could try that." She whispered into his ear and he felt that she meant it.

"Good." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her back and leaned closer into her so she could feel the embrace better. He felt her body stiffen for a moment but then she seemed to relax and she began to hold him too.

"Must you use _every_ opportunity to hug me?" She tried to sound annoyed when she spoke but it didn't carry on her voice.

He was about to answer her with a blissful yes but they heard somebody approaching and Ito had to push him off. For fear of somebody questioning him, he knew but he could tell that Ito had not wanted to do that. Come graduation she won't have to push him away when somebody looks their way.

Unfortunately the person had seen. Takashi looked down at them with a sneer. "What a disgusting display of public affection—who wants to see _that_?"

_Remember to review: time is running out!_


	10. hunt down this murderer

_ GAAAHHH please don't hate me: I know it took so long to update, and I know I promised to write it once I got some reviews but...then I got a job and I just don't have all that much time to go onto the computer. But rest assured all the reviews I recieved really helpped me along to get this done so please I ask you to review to motivate me moreso than I already am._

_And a review doesn't have to be long, just something to let me know you're reading it._

_please review and enjoy bye:_

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Makoto and Ito both sank in their seats as they turned around to see the serpent that was Takashi Ilzuka. He scowled down at them as he stood tall, waiting for them to get up and show him some respect. Ito hastily stood and Makoto followed her lead, hoping she wouldn't try anything too hard because Nemoto stood behind Takashi. Looking ready as ever to protect his young master.

Takashi stared at them in disgust for a moment longer but with a his nose held high in the air he turned from them to face the school's entrance. Makoto watched in aw as Takashi took a step towards the door. He took his eyes off of Takashi for a moment to look down at his watch, it was nearly four-thirty: classes had been over for over two hour. _So why is Takashi here? _Makoto thought. He could tell Ito had the same thought on her mind for she watched Takashi grab the door handle with utter astonishment.

Makoto was about to ask Takashi what he was doing there but Ito got to him first. With one leap she managed to jump in front of Takashi and threw her arms out to block the door.

Takashi ordered her to move and gestured to Nemoto, who was already on his cell phone to order the other guards over. Makoto acted fast and was right beside Ito, ready to take Takashi's fight, knowing that Takashi had something to hide.

Ito glanced up at Makoto, her eyes filled with delight that he was beside her. Then they both turned to Takashi. "What are you doing here?"

Takashi rolled his eyes, apparently he felt no need to answer this question but Makoto advanced on him. He pressed his bent arm up against Takashi's throat, he could feel that Takashi's breathing was beginning to get thick. Fear was slowly entering his mind.

Makoto asked again, not minding that Nemoto had just hung up his phone. "What are you doing here, Takashi?"

Nemoto came up to Takashi. "Sir," he whispered in his ear (but Makoto could hear every word), "We don't have much time." Nemoto reminded Takashi.

Takshi's only reaction to this was a sigh, he looked back to the two blocking his way. His eyes lingered on Ito for only a moment then they settled on Makoto. "Alright, come with me. As I do my errand I shall explain, but not a word to anyone. Takayo will have my head!"

Both Ito and Makoto raised their eyebrows at this comment as they faced each other, allowing Takashi to go through.

They followed Nemoto inside who would constantly speed up to open a door for Takshi then would retreat back behind him so as to follow Takashi. Makoto and Ito found this ritual quite annoying because Takashi didn't seem to know where he was going. He lead them in and out of classrooms, around the school at least four times (not saying a word) and in and out of the cafeteria. Just as it appeared that it would never end Ito couldn't take it.

"Look! We do have other things to do, you know? So could you just get this over with? Stop leading us around and tell us why the hell you're here!"

Nemoto stopped walking and that was only a sign that Takashi had too. Makoto felt himself walk in between Nemoto and Ito, just as a precaution. Suddenly Takashi spoke, he seemed rather quiet and that usual harsh tongue of his wasn't edged into his voice. "I thought you would have given up by now and gotten frustrated enough to stop following me."

"Well we didn't!" Makoto informed him.

Takashi sighed and he sounded very tired. "I really don't have the energy to deal with you right now, alright?" Makoto wondered what Takashi could be doing to make him so tired. _Could he be staying up each night, plotting something on the drama club? _He thought.

Makoto and Ito both looked at each other and Makoto could tell Ito was thinking the same thing. It was odd that Takashi would feel tired, although his sister usually felt some fatigue, he was one of the healthiest boys in school. As he turned to give them a look to keep them to secrecy Makoto could make out the dark lines and wrinkles under his eyes.

He was tired and Makoto could tell that he hadn't slept much at all lately and since the only thing that could possibly keep him awake would be his sister he knew that Takashi was up to something.The occurrences at the drama club could not have just been a small coincidence.

However they couldn't ask him to elaborate on his odd comment because a teacher was approaching. Miss. Ito had told the drama students to try and keep what was happening in the club down low. She didn't want the other clubs to boycott them by not coming to a haunted play or the principal to think that the drama students were in danger (and so far they weren't).

So he had to wait for the teacher to pass but unfortunately the teacher stopped to talk to Takashi. "Ilzuka-san, you really do care for your sister, don't you?"

Although the answer to that question was obvious, Makoto thought it odd that this teacher was asking it. Takashi had to presume his usual sophisticated manner and turned his back on the two stragglers.

"Of course I do." He informed the teacher. "As her older brother it breaks my heart to see her go into the hospital so many times."

Makoto and Ito looked to each other at the word, _hospital_. The way he went on about it made Makoto realize that this was a recent thing. He wasn't speaking at the thought of past events, he was speaking as though Takayo was in the hospital now. Which only meant she was.

Takashi's grand tale of his heroic brother duties to his sister had finished with the teacher glancing down at his watch and exclaiming the time. "My, my I am terribly sorry Ilzuka-san. I must be keeping you and I'm sure visiting hours at the hospital are not to your schedule. Here is your sister's homework." He apologized again as he began to hand a good handful of papers to Takashi.

Takshi held them up in the air, a signal for Nemoto to grab them (which he did earnestly), as he began to explain the Ilzuka rules to the teacher. "Hah, the Ilzuka family has its own _private_ hospital. The visiting hours can fit any of our schedules." He whisked his hair behind his ear as he waved the already exiting teacher away.

Once he had turned down a hallway Takashi turned to Nemoto in a very brisk manner. "Alright, we have a good twenty minutes to get these figured out. Now...Takayo's best subject is mathematic…so we'll give her Japanese and English to the private tutor we hired and..." He stopped in mid-sentence as he peered up and down Makoto and Ito. Both just staring at Takashi open mouthed as they realized what he was doing. Once Takashi remembered that he had invited them to follow him he straightened up, fixed his tie, cleared his throat before he began to explain why he was not only gathering his sister's homework: but doing it as well.

"You two, with your life ambitions so low, would most likely not understand why I am doing this but," He walked past them and Nemoto followed right behind. "To ensure that Takayo's future is never in jeopardy, we must take certain actions when she's emitted into the hospital. One action would be for her grades to not fall behind. So…we would of course, appreciate it highly, if you kept your little mouths shut! You never know how your plays could turn out."

Both Makoto and Ito stared at each other, mouths open in the most obscene fashion. They watched him saunter down the hallway to the lobby. The moment he was gone Ito began clawing the air in front of her. Makoto could tell she wished she had attacked Takashi when he was there but was glad she hadn't, the strings that Takashi could pull with a mere tilt of his head to any body guard was unconceivable.

Once Ito's small hissy fit towards the air was done she let out a large breath of air and folder her arms. "Geez! Who does he think he is, acting all high and mighty about cheating?"

Makoto shook his head, as always he could never be surprised at how low Takashi could sink. "I don't know but I think we have too many problems right now to concern ourselves with his little charades."

Ito nodded and with a look at the time they both headed down to catch the last few minutes of practice. However it was right when they got to the door to the gym that Ito stopped.

"What do you think he meant by that?"

Makoto raised his eyebrows and sarcastically commented, "By….what? Keep your mouths shut? He just doesn't want us to blab." He really wanted to drop the subject of Takashi.

She shook her head, "No the comment after that, you never know how your plays could turn out…"

Makoto considered the threat. "Yeah, but it sounds more so like he's speaking for future performances."

She nodded again but she wasn't convinced. "Its just that, I've been going over and over that note in my head…its just not…something isn't adding up." Makoto glanced back at the gym door and motioned for her to hold that thought for a moment. He did not want anybody to see them just standing outside the door talking. Then he ushered her towards an empty classroom before he told her to go on.

"Well…that note…it doesn't really sound like anyone at our school. Did you not get an image of somebody…_older_, writing it, when you heard it? It sounded like somebody really mature…or old…or…at least out of high school speaking."

"Or somebody with a degree in Japanese?" Makoto asked with a smug look on his face.

Ito nodded, a grin curling at the edge of her cheeks. He had hit the ball right on the money. "Exactly."

Makoto considered what she was saying. "The only thing is, Takashi only made the threat now…His motive…"

Ito held up a finger. "But, how long has Takayo been in the hospital?"

Makoto smiled again feeling as though they were only a step away from solving this drama crisis. When Takayo was around Takashi could never go out with any plans to ruin Makoto's acting career. However with her in the hospital that is a much different story: obviously her brother would take advantage of this.

"He did seem very tired."

"Exactly, like he hasn't caught a nights sleep in ages."

"And some of the tricks that have been happening would take a while to set up."

Ito stopped right there and stared in the distance. "But a lot of them didn't."

Makoto stared at her, he could see the worry spread out over her face. He asked her what the problem was.

"That's just it, not too many of them did need a whole night's preparation. What if…what if he's staying up at night, not causing trouble but planning it? Planning a really big prank against us…real soon?"

She looked away, unable to contemplate what he'd do to the drama club. Her drama club. This club was as apart of her life as her family, seeing it go to pieces was hard for her. He silently placed his hand on her cheek and guided her gaze to him.

"It's going to be alright." He promised her, dropping his voice to his male octave, knowing that hearing his real voice would be much more comfortable for her. She tried to con a smile but couldn't manage. She shrugged and Makoto could see how hard she'd been trying to hold back some tears. He held open his arms and she buried her face in his shirt, hoping he wouldn't be able to tell she was crying, he made no note to let her know he knew.

They leaned against the desk like that for a few moments, then they heard the sound of the door knob clicking. They both turn to look and in the usual haste Makoto let go of Ito. They both stand up to look innocently at the door but whomever it was had apparently thought again about coming inside, the door bumped against the door frame and with a silent click the knob fell back into place.

Makoto fixed himself up and motioned towards the door, telling Ito they'd better go. She agreed and left the room right behind him. No one was in the hallway but below them, at there feet was a piece of paper, inscribed on top was a drawing of single black rose.

_

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so yeah review_


	11. Notes

Hey guys this chapter is very short, but please I am asking for like, ONE review before the next chapter (which I have already written heheeh) goes up. I am telling you the next one is much better than most of my other chapters (well i'll let you decide that) either way, here's a small one. Remember no update till I get reviews.

and im only asking for atleast one this time (two would be nice though)

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Chapter 11 

Ito collapsed on her bed, her head hitting the pillow with thump. Makoto smiled weakly at her, knowing how exhausted she was. Although he had stayed in her room the entire time, because he wasn't dressed feminine enough to see her brothers, he had heard the entire discussion that had emanated from the kitchen.

They had been home for awhile but once her brothers came Ito decided to ask them a few questions that was supposed to help Makoto and Ito piece some things together. The conversation started innocently enough however as most things in the Miura family, it didn't end calmly.

As Yuto began making supper and Ryuya "helped" (ate exactly the same ingredients Yuto needed) Ito walked into the kitchen asking about a degree in Japanese.

Although both her brothers loved speaking to her about anything they both raised their eyebrows and asked the same thing, in unison, "Why?"

"Well do a lot of people get one?"

"Why?"

Ito exhaled a breath of hot air as she realized she'd need to bring in some of her improve expertise in order to move anywhere with these two. "Because I'm wondering if it would be _helpful _for me to get one in my career choice as an actress."

Yuto shrugged and continued to slice the leach he had on the cutting table. "It can never hurt to have on your resume, however we don't have any and as such would not be able to tell you how many, if any, doors it would open."

Ryuya, who was munching down on a carrot looked over at his brother, "What are you talking about? I have one."

Ito's eyes sparked up, not only could Ryuya tell her what kind of degree in Japanese was needed for the writer of the letter to describe themselves in the way they had, but if he knew anyone connected to the drama club or Takashi through his Japanese class than it could help so much more.

There was silence in the room as Yuto studied his brother with the new information he had never known about him. There was a slight smile on his face when he looked away and shrugged it off.

Seeing this Ryuya snapped, "What?I do!"

Yuto nodded calmly, "I do not doubt that. It's just..."

"What?"

"So does Chris!"

Ito sat up straight at this but realized what Yuto was hinting at. "Ryuya...why do you have your degree in Japanese?"

Silently he blushed and looked in the direction to where Chris was washing windows in the living room. "Because...I wanted to have a class with Chris." He didn't even disguise the sheepish tone of his voice.

Ito's head dropped to the table. "That means you can't help me at all!"

Ryuya didn't like being told this. He glared at Ito and shook his head violently. "That's not ture! Ask me anything you want, I paid attention to something in that class!"

Yuto chuckled as he said, "Yeah the girl in front you."

Ryuya was about to snap at him but had to give a silencing look to Ito who had begun to laugh on her stool. In an instant he looked up to the ceiling and said calmly, "It doesn't really matter, I didn't even need the degree, my future's already set in concrete. It was always Yuto who should have taken it to help him in the job search."

The knife Yuto was using came crashing down on the board with thud. With a wicked smile he asked Ryuya, "Are you saying that my cooking is not enough to get me the career of my dreams?"

With a huge smile Ryuya rubbed the back of his neck, "Did I say Yuto?" He laughed loudly as he realized who had the ability to poison his dinner. "I meant Ito." He pointed to his sister.

Which was what made Ito stop asking questions and take refuge in her room as both her brothers began to ask her which troupe she would try for or which college she'd plan on going too.

She rubbed her temples immensely, wishing her brothers to become 'normal'. As she did that Makoto wondered how safe he was in her room. The brothers knew he was there but didn't know of his true gender and if they were to come in his lack of makeup and wig may give him away. He sat on the floor, his back up against the bed and the note still in his hand. It wasn't a long note but it was written in the same writing as the first. Also the paper that was used was not normal printing paper but a slightly thicker and paler one, more like water colour paper. Like the last. However this note was much different from the last one, it was short and to the point. Makoto did not know what it held in store for them.

"_I suggest you stop fooling around in places where you do not belong and work hard at bringing this performance to life, instead of the docile game you have displayed."_

"Well, that's it, what are we supposed to do now?" Ito flung her head back with a sigh.

Makoto, who wore a long red sweater and a pair of jeans leaned against her bed and asked her what she meant.

Hosting herself with one arm she looked down at him and explained. "They or he or she whatever this…_thing_ is," Makoto chuckled at her attempt to describe the unknown phantom. "Knows about how we're looking for them!"

"Mind you it could just be Miss. Itô telling us to stop horsing around and take the play a bit more seriously." He smiled up at her annoyed face, he realized she was taking this more seriously than he was but he still felt they should be able to laugh a few times in between. She was about to retaliate when he lifted his arm to ask for a small, half hug. She gave in, leaning forward and letting him bend back awkwardly to wrap his arm over her neck.

She shook her head as she let her body lie down on the bed, her head locked between his chest and arm. He kissed the top of her head, her hair pricking his nose slightly as he did so. "Now listen everything will turn out for the better. Let's look at what this note means, it means that the person knows we are looking for them, so that probably means we've already asked this person if they are doing it."

He could feel her nod and could tell she was thinking about what he had said. Finally she spoke, "That would mean that it is either Takashi or your sister, Tsubaki."

"Yes, and I can't see how Takashi would be able to send us a note, they went straight to the car but my sister wasn't even here today, she had to go to a designer or something today."

Ito gave a suggestion. "Takashi has soo many people working for him. Anyone of them could have just come in the door and placed it there."

Makoto bit his lip as he considered this, it was very possible but it didn't explain one thing. "So how do you explain the writing being the same because if it was the teacher making the notes they had no way of getting to him and back here in time to drop it off. Or did they?"

"Either it wasn't the teacher actually writing it or they had the notes pre-written."

Makoto nodded. "We are kind of predictable that way I guess." They both smiled at the thoughts of how far they went when a red flag went up for the club. They'd do anything for the club really and they weren't quiet about it at all.

"There is a chance that anyone else could have overheard us." Ito said quietly.

"Like who?"

"I just have this feeling Toki knows something, he's stopped bugging me about his college but acts as though I've decided to go. Oh, and he's been asking so much about the club and how everyone's taking the whole phantom thing."

Makoto nodded, wondering where this was going but having a pretty good idea where.

She sat up and looked Makoto straight in the eye. "I think we should re-look at Toki, he may have overheard us talking about asking people. If he knew we were on to him..."

Though she trailed off Makoto was able to finish her sentence for her. "He is smart enough to play dumb and act innocent until anything pointing to him is off the table."

They looked at each other, the same thought on both their minds as they echoed it onto their lips, "We have to question him."

* * *

So yeah please review and this thing is comming to a close only...i think 3 more after my next one.

and I can't wait to hear what you all think of that one. I really hope to put it up by next week.


	12. Don Juean

Hi thank you for the reviews, and as promised here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it as much i like writing it. this one was fun, I'm working on the next one as we speek. Oh i'm just really giddy right now, please keep my happiness in tact by telling me if you enjoyed this chapter (or if you hated it) lol.

So i think there may be some questions about this story, again a lot of it was based moreso on the book rather than the play but i did put some lines from the musical in for Don Juean.. I think i messed up on the french honourifics but i hope everyone can put two and two together. Okay so read and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 12

However, they never got to questioning Toki. The moment they entered the practise the next day things had gone as they always would. Toki was directing the girls, much to Miss. Itô's disgust. Tsugami was complaining about not having a big enough part with Ito, first years were ignoring her. Ito was going over her many lines with everyone, Sakamoto was moving props while convincing the professional technical crew they had that he was better than them, and Makoto was having the smallest details of his costume fixed. Everything was normal for the timing of the practise, the play would be happening soon enough and they did not need anything to go wrong.

"Alright everyone, Act 1, scene 4 and 5! These are the big ones!" Miss Itô announced.

Ito and a few others crowded around Nobuko who had the edited version of the play with her, "Whoever wrote the script had taken the more theatrical approach at this last scene. In Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the story a huge chandelier comes crashing down to the stage, allowing the phantom to take Christine away with him." She handed out a few of her own edited scripts. "Of course we could never afford to do something like that so after some research I finally figured out what we will be doing. Just like in the original novel instead of the chandelier we'll have a black out but we may have either a strobe light or turn on the back stage lights or something." She shook her head modestly to show she wasn't in charge of that part. "We'll figure that part out later, just here's what's happening, we will be using our trap door: just not today because apparently--we don't have the key, yet. Once the lights go out, the door is opened, Ito, who is being held in an embrace by Makoto is, dropped through the door, Makoto you stay on stage and say you're new lines." Makoto had been following along and scanned over his short little monologue. "Then jump down through the trap door, while she's speaking Ito is switching into the more torn outfit for Christine." Ito nodded as she thought of the dress the costume designers had destroyed and torn for the second half of the play. "And then retreats upstage."

Ito had only been under the stage once before and that was when she was a first year and had just entered the club. They had been showing the new students everything about the stage. She couldn't remember much about underneath: just that it had been very dark and there were places on the loading beams where flash lights were able to be hooked up. She remembered it being rather crowded and hard to move around down there.

As though Miss. Itô had read her mind she came up and told her that she had plans to make the stage below more comfortable for her and Makoto. "Once we get the key from those _damn_ secretaries!" She shook her head and composed herself before she continued. "The track and field team will move any stored things down there and our tech crew will hook up some lighting as well, for you."

Makoto found it odd that the key wasn't with them already and relied his question to Miss. Itô, who shook her head angrily again and announced, "Those idiots in the office claim they can't find it! It's just unreasonable." She scratched her scalp furiously, letting the small flakes of dandruff (or it could have been her actual scalp she seemed angry enough) fall on her black long sleeve shirt. With a sigh she admitted, "I know why they're doing this. The little dumb asses couldn't take a constructive comment on how lazy and pig headed they are and now they're keeping the key from us for as long as freaking possible."

Toki overheard the conversation and grunted at Miss Itô's comment. "Ya' really thought that was a constructive comment?"

Miss Itô said something about not having a cigarette at all that day s and began lighting up a cigarette in front of them, ignoring any other comments on her statement to the secretaries. In a loud voice she orders them to get to their places and start rehearsing.

Everyone rushed up onto the stage, found their places and waited for her to give the command. Down below Sakamoto leaned over to Toki. "Yo, why are these scenes known as 'the big ones'?"

Toki snarled and turned to Sakamoto. "Shit, ya' spiky head-turd: you'd better not say a word during the performance: 'kay?" He puts a cigarette behind his ear before he speeks, "These two scenes are right before intermission. Christine Daae and Raoul have plans to run away but at the same time another note comes. Endo is Firman and he's the guy really PO'd about the notes, M. Giry: Misaki and Nobuko's character: Meg Giry all enter the scene and they all plan to do everything the note says, instead of going against it like they had in previous scenes. Only this time they would have the police surroundin'the place, expectin' the ghost to come to the theatre to watch the play and thus being able to catch him. Now, he does show up just not where they had been expectin' him."

Sakamoto was enthralled by the story. He gazed up at him with huge eyes and asked as though he were a child of three, "Where?"

"He showed as the main character of his own play; _'Don Juan'" _

Sakamoto's mouth was open and he was about to ask what happened next but the curtain had opened (a sign for all to be silent) and he decided to watch the story unfold himself.

* * *

Raould moves steadly to centre stage, where a fearful Christine awaits, her back to him. He grasps her hand and she jumps as she turns to him. 

With the sound of relief in her voice she breaths his name: "Raoul."

He gazes at her and wipes a tear away from her cheek. "My darling." he says. "What on earth has caused you such misery, such trouble that you would cry so silently, here on the stage?"

"It's him, Raoul. It's Erik. It's him!"

"The phantom?"

"The Angel of music! It's him! No matter where I go...He's there, somewhere. If I'm not hearing him through the walls, the ceiling, the air, then he's there in the shadows: I know it!" She shakes her head rapidly before she turns away from the caring Raoul to come up to the edge of the stage. Her face is calm and she looks up, as though up to the heavens. "I hear him so often and every time it's more beautiful than before. He truly is a genius...I can't help it: his voice is glorious and when I hear it...Oh..." She twirls back to the confused Raoul. "It's just so beautiful...I can't turn away."

"You must." He chokes.

"I CAN'T!" She cries, again she comes closer to the edge of the stage, only this time she is very upset. "I've tried: can't you understand that? I've tried so hard over the last few days, Raoul. It's no use. When I'm alone or with friends I hear his beckoning voice. I'll try to run but...then the alluring sound of the harps and violins will play, only accenting his voice—I have to force myself away. It gets harder every time. His voice grows lovelier by the hour it seems. And I don't think I can run away from it anymore."

She's back his arms but he's frightened. He tries to hold onto some composure however the audience can see his trouble. He lets go of Christine and walks forward. She calls out to him, asking what she should do. With a look back at her he turns to the audience and sadly explains his feelings towards Christine. She gazes at him sadly as he speaks towards to audience but really; to her.

"Why would you tell me this. Why would you break my heart with such words—telling me that another man has the attention of the woman I love. The girl I've always loved is being enticed by a man, or a ghost: call him what you will but do not tell me you cannot turn away from him. He should not have any power over you. He should not be with you every moment, causing you such torment. Torment that I cannot cure. Torment that causes great pain for me as I see it on your darling face." He turns back to a pensive Christine and lays his hands on both her shoulders, holding her out to study her face. "Christine you have not slept for days. His voice may be beautiful but you fear him all the same."

"I fear him because I believe he may take me away. Away from everything I love...away from you."

"Then let's leave. Let us be gone from here. We can go back to the summer home we enjoyed so much as children. Please Christine."

She looks out towards the audience as though playing with the thought, finally she turns back. "Tomorrow night. We will leave and be gone from here."

"Not tomorrow. Not tomorrow. Now." He looks around the room and lets go of as he moves across the stage. "He could have heard our plans by now. You may be in danger by tomorrow night."

"I cannot leave town without a proper visit to my father, Raoul."

The stern voice she had used and the anger in her eyes told him she was right. "Of course, forgive me Christine, in all that has gone on around here I had forgotten about M. Daae. Please make all the arrangements necessary, I shall do the same. Then by tomorrow night we shall be in our old home."

Despite all the trouble surrounding the couple, a giggle escapes Christine as she says, "As though we were children again."

He smiles and opens his arms to hug her. "I'll fetch your scarf, again."

She laughs, pulls away from his hug but casually holds his hand and leads him to the right of the stage. They then begin their little rhyme, "And we'll have picnics in the attic."

"Or of chocolate."

"And father will play the—"

"These is ridicules!" A voice off stage yells. Christine and Raoul stop as the owner of the opera house rushes by. He holds a note to the audience as M. Giry and and Meg enter.

M. Giry is very angry at Firman's noise. "Monsieur! Please, some of the girls are trying to sleep!"

"Not all of them, M. Giry. Not of all them indeed." He points to Christine. "She is awake as the sun in the morning."

Meg turns to her friend and grabs her hand. "What, pray tell, has you up out of bed Christine. Have you trouble sleeping again because you hear the angel singing?"

"The angel?" M. Firman questions.

Meg turns and nods. "Oui, the angel of music sings each night but it seems that Christine is the only one who can hear him, and so it keeps her up at night."

M. Firman looks to his brother. "Raoul, it appear that this angel of your friend, Christine, is the same Opera Ghost that has been bothering me with these notes!"

"What has he written now?"

Firman stands straight as he pulls open the note to read. "Dear Firman, my opera is complete and you shall perform it on your Saturday night's show. The part of Don Jean will be played by the best male actor the house has available, unfortunately that has the be Piangi. The man should loose some weight before tackling this role as it not healthy for a man of his age."

Everyone shakes their heads, the ghost may be crude but he was true.

Firman continues. "Furthermore, only those who can act shall be allowed in my opera. Those with minuscule talent, like Carlotta, shall have the smallest of roles to fit. The innocence of the Giry girl will come in handy has the main chorus girl. The lead female shall, of course, be play by the girl fit most for the part: Christine Daae."

At the mention of her name everyone turns to her, their gaze accusing. "Furthermore, Andre some of the instruments must be fixed before our production begins. Look at the bassoon and the third trumpet. They seem out of tune and if it is the musician: fire them. Your friend, the phantom of the opera."

Firman looks to everyone, trying to get their reaction. "Well, Miss. Daae, you seem to have managed the largest part of the play." He throws down a large script that he had been holding behind the note. "I have read through the ridicules play and although the name sake of the play is Don Jean he has no lines compared to your character! This play seems to have been made for you."

Raoul holds onto her as she begins to shake. "I don't want it. I don't want the part. Give it to Carlotta, give it to Meg give it to anyone else, but myself, monsieur. I cannot take it, I cannot be in his play."

"You will take it." Raoul says. They all look at him and Christine is about to object but he says solemnly. "You will take it and we will play his game. Andre will look at his orchestra and see to the improvements. Piangi will wear a girdle, Meg will rise to the occasion as top chorus girl and we, my brother, will have the opera house on full alert. We will perform his piece, to the best of his liking so that he is sure to show and then, the police that shall be scattered across the halls and the theatre: will catch him."

With a sufficient nod from everyone the lights slowly went out and the actors left the stage.

Without much delay the light came back on, eluminating different parts of the play.

"What is THIS!" The annoying voice of Carlotta cries.

"Please Carlotta, we are under a lot of pressure."

Fiman follows, begging her. "I know that! But look at this! Look!"

She waved her script in front of him. "I don't know what kind of game that little miss. Daae is playing but it is obvious she is behind it. She has the biggest part: I should have that part."

"Please, signora. We would risk too much if we had you as the lead role. We fear that he is planning to do something with the lead actresses and we could never have anything tremendous happen to you. Please understand that once this play is done that's it. No more phantom and all the lead roles in our future performances are yours."

She thinks for a moment then smiles, mischievously. "You mean that after this performance the name Daae shall be forgotten?"

"At the mention of the name only her deceased, violinist father shall be remembered."

This makes Carlotta happy and she skips off the stage.

Firman is exhausted and sighs heavily as Raoul walks on stage. "What is the news?"

Firman looks to him and nods approvingly. "The practises have gone well for the performance tonight. And how goes with you?"

"Every officer in the city shall be here. We'll have guards at the door in case he runs, guards patrolling the halls and ones in the seats. There are also several who shall be around box five."

"Yes box five. He shall want to watch the performance from his usual seat I presume. We haven't had any information concerning him deciding to switch."

Raoul agrees. "By the way have we any other notes from him?"

"No."

Raoul looks out to the audience and shakes his head. Firman asks what the trouble is. "It's just not right. He should be watching the practises as we speak. He should be giving us his usual, taunting guidance. I just hope he doesn't know our plans and has already left."

"If he has left than let's hope it's for good." Firman says before he leaves the stage.

Raoul doubts it and he looks to the audience as he says, "For good? That would be wonderful. Even though it seems the ghost has no presence or opinion for his own opera I still see the torment he brings to my lovely finance Christine. I can see how she stays with the crowds, how she holds my hand tighter when we walk down the corridors, how she always looks over her shoulder, expecting him to come over to her. It's troubling how much he has control over her. I know he is still here and so does she. Sometimes I wonder if doing Don Juan was even a good idea. If we should have just left that day, as we had planned to. But I know she would have been tormented, even in our summer house, by the one she calls Erik. We've asked around and no one knows of this Erik, M. Giry knows some but what she does know she's already shared with me and I still wish to know more."

Christine enters wearing a red and black skimpy outfit. Raoul looks at her and questions the outfit. "It was described and drawn in the book, the costume designers had no choice."

"I don't care for this phantom."

"His play is the work of the devil. I feel as though I am committing a sin just by acting in it." She looks up to him and cries. "Please, tell me I don't have to do it. Tell me it will all be alright."

"I shall tell you this, no harm shall be done to you as you preform tonight. And after this, nothing will ever happen to you again. I'll make sure of that."

Christine smiles and thanks him. M. Giry's voice is heard to the side, "Christine, we're almost ready for the performance. Please come now we have much to go over before then."

Raoul tells her to go. She presses against him and they share a kiss as the curtains close. End of Act 4.

* * *

"Wow!" Sakamoto was amazed at the performance already. "Ito-san is great on stage: I can only image how good Makoto-san is!"

Toki nodded as he stared admirably at the closed curtain. "Yeah, we were worried about Ito playing Christine, because she's supposed to be a really feminine character but I think Ito kind of adds a bit of spunk to the character."

"Oh right, Makoto-san was supposed to play the character, right?"

"Yeah...she would have been perfect too but she'd have been a more traditional, damsel-in-distress, Christine. Which is fine, but I kind of like a feisty Christine more."

"Yeah it's hotter."

Toki glared down at Sakamoto and pushed him in the head as lights turned on, the curtains remained closed.

* * *

Raoul came to center stage, in front of the closed curtains, where a short Parisian man (Kouhei) stood, his face covered by a shadow his rather large, rimmed hat created, he stroked his long moustache as he waited.

Raoul saw him and asked what he was doing in the opera house. "You are too late to buy tickets to tonight's show, I am afraid." He's about to walk off the way he came but then the man spoke.

"Is it true?"

Raoul stops, he waits for the Parisian to continue. The man tips his hat so that the stage lights illuminate his face. "The play was written by a phantom whom haunts the theatre?"

Raoul whips around. "Where did you hear such a rumour."

A smile creeps over the Parisian's face. "So, it's true. Tell me, has he taken interest in any of the young actresses?"

In a worried, hushed voice Raoul replies, "Why do you ask?" It is shown in his behavior that the young lady the phantom has taken interest in is close to him.

He grabs his hat from his head and holds it to his chest as he walks over to Raoul, and put his hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, but you won't be able to stop him."

Raoul shakes his head. "I will! That murderer will not get away with this!"

The man nods and turns away. "By the way, I hope to enjoy the show tonight. I'd like to see what Erik has been up to lately, not that we can prevent any of his plans for tonight." He exits left stage but looks back before exiting. "No matter how hard you try."

Raoul clutches his chest, then Firman enters, does not notice his brother's stance. "Raoul, the police are ready, I suggest you take your seat, the performance shall begin and so far there has been no sign of the phantom."

Raoul pats his brother's back. "That's good news. Yes we shall start the show now, we shouldn't let them wait a moment longer." Both walk off to the right of the stage, the curtain opens once they are off.

A gruesome set filled with sets of a golden orange and with black, white and red cloths adorning it from very heights. Chorus girls stood towards the back and they repeated the phrase:

"_Here the sire may serve the dam, here the master takes his meat! Here the sacrificial lam butters one despairing bleat!"_

Carlotta came forward and began her short warning to the young girl, who sat in center stage.

"Poor young maiden! For the thrill on your tongue of stolen sweets you will have to pay the bill -tangled in the winding sheets! Serve the meal and serve the maid! Serve the master so that,when tables, plans and maids are laid, Don Juan triumphs once again!"

Christine sat in the middle of the stage, the outfit she wore seemed a mess from her usual gowns. She looked out to the audience confused as the chorus girls began chanting again, only now they danced about her. Laughing and poking her as they went.

Finally Piango came on stage, however it wasn't he. Christine gasps, seeing the face of her angel through the brightly coloured masked that covered his face. The phantom holds out his hand for her and the lights went out.

A short cry for help is heard, with the sound of a struggle on stage. Then Makoto yelled out, "Ito?"

He had to stop as he felt somebody grab him and push him back. The strength was mighty and cut off his air.

"What's going on up there?" Miss. Itô couldn't see a thing and told the tech crew that it was too soon for the lights to go off.

They said their electricity had been cut. A stage hand on stage turned on the stage lights but it was too late. Ito was no where on stage and whoever had pushed Makoto was long gone.

* * *

Well I hope you all liked that. I did. Tell me what you thought because i wrote this chapter so different than nomally. 


	13. wishing you were sumhow here again

Note to everyone: NEVER WRITE A CLIFFHANGER BEFORE EXAMS!!!! YOU'LL HAVE NO TIME TO WRITE THE SECOND CHAPPY!

_But I found time. I'm actually expecting a lot of negative feedback from this one because Makoto's different. Tell me if you life/dislike him. I don't know, he never had many depressing scenes in the book._

_BY the by, book 14 was awesome. And there will be a serious 2, check the forum out for that action, someone (think sangiharro gave the fantastic news) so BE HAPPY!_

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Chapter 13

"Ito!?" Makoto screamed her name and slammed his fist repeatedly at the trap door where she had disappeared. He put his ear close to the door, hearing faint thumping below but not a sound more.

He had felt such a struggle when she had disappeared,_ 'no'_ he corrected himself, _'when she had been kidnapped.' _He had felt the conflict and knew that there was more than one person keeping them apart from each other. He tried to compose himself, to keep his secret safe but his anger was overwhelming him. He heard Miss. Itô tell people to get the key, told Toki to go to the other entrance where the trap door lead, but Makoto could not move. Makoto was only able to watch them all move about, searching for Ito.

It wasn't long before Toki came back from the exit of the trap door. "It's not open, no one's around there and it seems to have been bolted shut from the inside!"

Miss. Itô was frustrated, "Did _anyone_ leave during the performance?" She asked Sakamoto.

Sakamoto shrugged. Toki looked around the entire gym. "Where is the rest of your dumb running club?"

"Oh they were hidden throughout the gym, see!" He pointed to a group of boys in Brittish police uniforms standing by the exit reading a few mangas. "They were going to be the police men but unfortunately they never got to act!" Toki nodded, wondering how he had missed the group.

Then his eyes turned to Makoto, still on stage, hunched in a ball and still dressed as the phantom. She looked at the trap door with such longing in her eyes, Toki wondered what she was thinking. She lifted her head, her cape spreading far over the stage, the sight of her tearing her eyes away from where Ito had disappeared seemed like the most painful thing for her to do. Toki walked over to her and she only glanced at him.

"Makoto-san, Ito's tough. She'll be alright." He smiles and tries to crack a joke, "We're more looking for whoever did this just to get them to the hospital quicker."

She did not laugh at his joke. He waited for her to reply and her voice seemed softer, weaker, than normal as it tried to say. "She couldn't move."

Toki looked over at her and was surprised by the response. "What?"

"When she wears those dresses, sure she looks like a queen in them...but she just can't move in them. Was that his plan all along? To put her in something that she couldn't move in? Even me...This cape." She picked it up and looked at it as though it were a rag. "I tripped over it while coming on stage, whomever grabbed me had also just pulled the cords on this." She touched the string around her neck holding the cape up. "And I wouldn't breathe."

Toki looked Makoto in the eye, questioning her masculine gaze before he regrouped with Miss. Itô. The students who had left to retrieve the key came back empty handed.

"I guess somebody stole the key from them." Toki suggested. Miss. Itô agreed and told everyone to search the school. "Try to get inside that room." She told Toki, "Bust it down if you have too!"

"Already tried, there's something blocking it."

Miss. Itô swore. "Well, there weren't any other exits right?"

They continued their talk as Makoto listened from his distanced area on the stage,his fingers gently caressing the crease where the door was. He didn't really know what to do with himself, he knew that if Ito were there and it was another student gone, that she'd force him to look in every nook and cranny until the child was found. But without her there, without her inspiration and intentions pushing him through: he couldn't. He felt powerless and with images of his dream leaving his grasp, he couldn't help it but just sit there—waiting for her to jump out: to come back to him.

Over an hour had passed since Ito had vanished. Everyone seemed to leave the club with Toki's idea in mind: she would manage it. They looked at Makoto's stance as normal, not unusual, seeing as they were best friends and that she had been right there when it happened as the reasons for her behavior. Although Yoshiro, Misaki and Nobuko were worried they put on a brave face whenever they walked by him. Eventually, when most of the club members had gone home Yoshiro came up to him and lightly placed his hand on his shoulder. "Makoto-san." The tone of his voice meant that he had bad news. He was going to tell Makoto that no one could find Ito and the chances of her even being in the school still were slim. Whither she had escaped or they still had her, this had been no doubt planned and with a plan is in progress the chances of the victim and criminals, staying in the same spot was highly unlikely.

Makoto let Yoshiro see his red stained eyes, and saw Yoshiro step back. He knew he had left his friend speechless by showing that he had been crying. The issue was either too sensitive for Yoshiro or he was just at a loss for words, either way he squeezed Makoto's shoulder as a sign of support and left him on stage to go change.

Misaki, Nobuko and Yoshiro all tried to get him to leave but couldn't manage. He stared at the trap door the entire time and they all left. As time passed Makoto began to get used to the silence. He liked it. It made him think that Ito would throw her arms over him and happily tell him a story.

He was so used to the silence that the sound of someone's footsteps echoing throughout the entire gymnasium sent shivers through his heart.

He turned to see Miss. Itô holding her script and walking towards him.

"Makoto-san...what are you doing here?" Makoto looked up and she opened her mouth at the sight of his face. "Oh dear." She dropped her script and walked more briskly towards Makoto. "Makoto san I don't know what to do about Ito either but..." She pushed her hand through her short hair. "But...I'm sorry you can't stay here the night!"

"But...she's...she's not—she's gone..what.." Makoto found himself loosing track of his thoughts. _What was I trying to say? _He asked himself but didn't know the answer.

Miss. Itô told Makoto that although the situation was very delicate he could not stay in the gym. "I'm sorry but rules are..."

Makoto slammed his fist down on the stage. "NOOO!"

Miss Ito sighed and realized that reason would not be what would pull Makoto away from the stage. She thought for a few moments and finally continued. "Makoto-san, I have not, at this time, informed the Miura family. I was wondering if you could stop by on your way home and do so. I know they care for you and may have an idea of where she might be."

Makoto shook his head. "This has nothing to do with the Miura family." Makoto said assuringly, feeling a weight in his chest as he realized it most likely had to do with the Narita family: his family.

"I never said they did." She said as a matter of factly. "I just think that they deserve to know what has happened to her."

Makoto looked at her, "How can we tell her that when we don't even know?"

Miss. Itô shrugged. "Better to tell them something than nothing at all. Besides..." An evil smile crept up as she glanced up at Makoto, an indescribable look in her eye. "They might go easier on the school once they see how distraught you are over this."

Makoto shook his head, that was just like Miss Itô to think more of her career as a teacher rather than the dangers that would happen to her student. Of course she did care for what would happen to any of her students, the thing was her job came first on her priority list and if the student could defend themselves (as Ito had done several times during the past years) she wouldn't fret over it.

Ito was strong and dependable: Makoto knew that. He also knew how much trouble she had walking in that outfit. How hard it was to defend yourself in such a dress. He also knew that she was the only daughter of the Miura family: the protected, the perfect, the special child of Goro Miura—trained martial artist and man who's mission in life is his family: particularly his daughter.

"Just remind them that she can take care of herself." He reminded himself as he knocked on the Miura door. He had been repeating that line for the entire walk to the Miura house, so much so, that he had slowly begun to believe it.

Please, Goro, don't be home. He prayed, knowing that anyone would be better to break the news to, of course all of them would go crazy, Goro was the one most likely to kill him for delivering the message.

To his luck the door answerer was Chris. He could ask her to retrieve the most calm family member for him to break the news to. That way they knew about it but he could still help the search for her tomorrow, once that person had explained it to the rest of the family.

In a matter of seconds Chris left to retrieve Makoto's man for him: Yuto.

Yuto was dragged by Chris to the door, he seemed a bit bewildered and with his sleeves rolled up, his hands covered with flour and specks of the same substance being evident in his hair; it was clear that Chris had pulled him (literally) away from his cherished pastime: cooking. Makoto wondered how much time he had to explain everything to Yuto before he had to break away to get back to his cooking. The topic he had was difficult to discuss for him and he felt that he would not be able to do it in a matter of seconds.

For the entire walk to the Miura home Makoto had gone over everything he was going to say. Before he had even knocked on the door he had ran through his speech for one last time, just to be sure. But it seemed to have slipped away the moment Yuto locked eyes with him.

Makoto was so dumbfounded that he couldn't even start the conversation. Yuto had to do it, and with a cheerful smile he happily greeted with a bright, "Hi, Makoto." Makoto nodded and ended up looking to the ground, not able to keep his eye contact because he was embarrassed by the news he had to give. He returned the greeting silently, trying to figure out how to change the conversation onto the important matters. Again, Yuto came to the rescue. "What's up, Makoto? Odd that you'd ask for me...Oh, unless Chris made a mistake and you had really asked for Ito. Do you want me to go get her for you?" He asked so casually that Makoto realized that as far as Yuto knew Ito had come home safely.

Makoto looked up at him. "Did you see her come home?"

Yuto is caught off guard and has to think for a moment, his mouth hanging open in mid air as he did so. "Now that you mention it...No..." He bit the bottom of his lip as he concentrated hard on whither or not Ito had come home. He seemed to finally see the distraught across Makoto's face. "Why, did something happen? Did you two get into a fight again?"

He swore as he slammed his hand against the door frame, specks of flours (and splints of wood) burst from the impact.

Makoto raised his hands, his palms open and facing outward, in a sign of defence and pleading him to calm down. "No...no...not that. Not that..." Yuto's eyes slowly opened curiously as he listened to the nervousness in Makoto's voice. "Not that..." he repeated, he sighed and knew that this was his best opening he could wish for. "Something...worse."

Yuto echoed the last word. "Worse?" He leans against the door frame as he questions Makoto's word.

Makoto nods and tells him everything that had happened. How no one, not even him, the one who had been right beside her, had seen what had happened. How there seemed to be many people keeping him away from her and someone else to take her.

"I'm sorry to have brought this news to you, I really am. I don't know where she is, what's happened to her. I'm really sorry!" He apologized and chocked on the lump forming in his throat.

Yuto was silent as the story came to a close, he stared at the ground, his expression unreadable. It seemed he couldn't believe it, or he didn't want to. He looked up at the sight of Makoto's sad eyes.

"I'm sorry." Makoto repeated, bowing slightly to show respect.

Yuto placed his hand on Makoto's head, squeezing it slightly to tell Makoto to stop. Makoto apologized again and Yuto replied this time, his voice shaking on the spot.

"Please, Makoto, we would never blame you for this: please stop apologizing. I know its not your fault. And all of us, even Goro, know that you did _everything_ in your heart to help her. We know that—and we appreciate it. We know if you _could _prevent any _harm_ to her you would."

Makoto slowly raised from his position, not knowing what to say. Yuto's words had stung him and left him more speechless than before. Yuto took a step into the house and winked back at Makoto. "Don't worry, once I tell Ryuya and Dad, we'll find her." He laughed and commemorated him on retrieving him first. "I was probably your best bet."

_Strange, how Yuto can laugh now _Makoto thought, but he caught a look in Yuto's eyes as he turned to go back into the house, he was in pain. The laughter was an act. In truth he didn't know how either his father or Ryuya would handle it, he was just putting on the face to help Makoto.

Makoto admired him more than ever at that moment. Feeling ashamed of himself for not going out and looking for Ito he decided to repent at that moment. "Wait...what are you going to do?" Makoto asked before Yuto shut the door.

"Do? Well tell my father and brothers, and then go look for her." Yuto informed him of the obvious information.

Makoto nodded. "Can I look for her with you?"

Yuto shook his head. "I know you've worried yourself enough today, and I'm sure you're tired yourself from looking." Makoto's eyes faltered to the ground, Yuto spoke too highly of him. "Besides, depending on how Ito is, she may not feel like coming home first. If something...really bad..." He had stumbled on the words as he tried to say them: something he hardly ever did. "She'd most likely go to you before she came here." He looked back at Makoto, more serious than ever before. "Just, promise me that if that is the case, no matter what she says, call us to tell us she's with you. We'll at least know that she's safe there."

Makoto nodded, and watched the door close on him.

He walks off of the Miura property in a sad state. Thinking of Yuto's words of him, words that were too grand for the amount of work he did for Ito. He hadn't looked for her. He hadn't done anything. He was disgusted at himself for the lack of what he had done. Now he couldn't even repent and go find her.

_But what's stopping you?_ A voice taunted in his head. He knew that he couldn't, not if Yuto expected him to be at home all night in case Ito came.

_She could be there right now._ Makoto thought and found himself rushing to his apartment before he could stop himself. She could be there, just sitting by his doorstep, waiting for him to let her in so that she could tell him of her grand adventure. Of course this was Ito he was talking about, she'd have been able to escape with not only her life, but the troubling story of the people who did this to her and how she helped them out.

He wanted to hear those stories, he wanted to see her smile, he just wanted to see her at his apartment; waiting for him to come home.

But as he turned to corner to his street there was no one by the outside gate to his apartment. Entering the gate himself he still looked around, not wanting to loose any hope. She wasn't anywhere outside and as he closed the door to his building behind him, he knew she wasn't anywhere close to his apartment.

He slowly walked up the stairs to his place, his feet feeling heavier than lead; his heart feeling weighing him down as though it were a rock. He couldn't shake the guilt caused by Yuto, he knew that he could have done more: he knew it. He also couldn't get rid of the idea that it was his fault. He walked into his apartment, removing his shoes but managing to stumble over them afterwards. He was disoriented as he walked into his room, the site of his reflection woke him up.

Angrily he looked at his fake, long, golden hair and ripped it off his head. He scrubbed his face on his sleeve, trying to get the makeup off. He threw off his skirt and blouse from school. He couldn't believe how much this had become apart of his life, so much so that it had taken up Ito's life. Now it could be endangering her life.

His pulled his lengthy hair with his strong fingers, hearing the voice of his father in his head, "You're using your sister as a stepping stone." Was that what had happened with him and Ito? Had he stopped depending on her for support and started fully depending on her for everything, that he couldn't' see how much it affected her. How many times he had to pull away from her, for himself. How many times he allowed her to speak up for him, without standing on his own two feet. He loved her, at least that was he had thought. But this complicating life had created such turmoil for her—he should not have allowed her to get so mixed up in it.

With an angry fist he slammed down on his dresser. Not knowing what to do to help Ito when it was he who had brought this on her.

* * *

The buzzing of Makoto's alarm came in through his tormenting dream. He had not been able to sleep the entire night, his mind would never allow him to drift too far into his dreams, in case Ito did manage to come back to him. Every sound, no matter how soft, had awoken him the night before.

He saw his reflection again and thought about everything he'd have to do today, in order to keep his appearance. He just didn't want to do it. Why should he put on a wig and make himself look feminine for his dream if Ito wouldn't be there to tell him it was worth it.

The thought of Ito made Makoto grab his phone and hastily dial her number. It rang a few times, Makoto felt anxious as the thought that they could still be out there looking for her grabbed his mind. Even worse, they could have found out how much it had to do with Makoto that they could be ignoring his phone calls. The annoying hum of the phone still sounded as he was thinking about these things, he was so distracted that when it stopped Makoto had to catch his breath.

"Hmm...he-he—hello?" The groggy morning voice of a tired Ryuya answered the phone.

Makoto did not know what to say at first. He only had one question and the answer to that question would either make or break him.

"Hello?" Ryuya questioned a tad annoyed.

Finally Makoto woke up the courage to ask. Disguising his voice in the way he always did he asked, "Ryuya-kun, this is Makoto-san..." He paused before he asked. "Did you find her last night?"

There was a silence and Makoto could hear the weight in his voice. "No."

Makoto had tried to prepare himself for that answer but it was still hard to take. The fact that Ito was still out there, with who, nobody knew. He gripped the cotton bed sheets underneath him and asked Ryuya if they were continuing the search.

"It's kind of complicated." Ryuya answered. "See...My dad thinks that Ito was at your place: we didn't want to worry him. We figured that we'd be able to find her or that she'd come home. Since its Sunday the Dojo's going to be busy so he'll be at work for the full day, we're hoping we can keep up the lie until he leaves than we'll go to the police. If they don't find her by dinner, than we'll tell him."

Makoto didn't know if that idea was good or bad. He didn't know what Gorou would be worried more about, the fact that Ito was missing or that his sons had to lie to him about it. Of course it was obvious that the answer was Ito's disappearance but once it was all over he'd have it out with his sons.

_But what if it was never over?_

Makoto hung up his phone with this heavy thought on his mind. If Ito was never found than that would never happen. She would never see her family again and she'd never see Makoto again. All of his plans and dreams for them were disintegrating before his very mind.

He looked at the phone in his hands, biting his lips as he contemplated an idea. He then flipped the phone open and dialed his sister's phone number. A squeaky yawn came to the phone in a cheery voice, "Hello, Makoto."

Makoto spoke in his low voice, "Akane, I need to ask you something—about father."

"Yes?"

Her cheeriness almost made Makoto cringe, he usually loved her happy nature but today it only annoyed him. "Has he been up to anything lately?"

"I don't know." Her voice turned serious but her usual nature was still present. "They're up to something, I've seen them having meeting in the kitchen more frequently lately, but ever since I walked out on dad's omai for me he hasn't been too keen on letting me on the know."

That was all he needed to hear. "Thank you, Akane-san. Goodbye." Again he hung up his phone and threw himself back on the bed.

As he conspired as to his next approach he stared outside his window. The city was basked in the morning light and the busy day of city people was just about getting ready to start. Since it was sunday there weren't too many students out, but there were a few catching the bus to mall or cram school. Or, like himself on sundays, to club practises.

As he stares a thought strikes Makoto. Her brothers had searched everywhere, students had searched more so the grounds of the school than the school itself. With the thought of finding Ito on his mind Makoto stood up and got ready for play practise.

* * *

There were no classes that day and only some Sundays did they have practises, today being one of them, not too many had shown. Makoto went straight to the gym, wearing a fancy pair of jeans, his hair extensions and some blush. When he got to the empty gym he discovered it wasn't completely empty. He found Miss. Itô, the principal, Toki, Tsugami and Sakamoto.

"What's going on?" He asked sweetly, trying to sound innocent.

Sakamoto grimly smiled at Makoto and Toki gave him a, "this isn't good" look. Tsugami's arms were folded across her chest and she was huffing about something.

Miss Itô pointed to Makoto. "She'll tell you what happened! She was there when Miura-san vanished."

Makoto, though acted dumbfounded, knew that this was what they were speaking about the entire time.

He smiled at the principal to say hello but tried to show some emotional tension in thinking of what had happened. The principal was able to see the pain that this had caused Makoto but Makoto never showed his determination through his story. The idea of the weak friend, heartbroken from what had happened, would help him out when he went searching for Ito. That way if he caused any harm to the perpetrators no one would question him, because of course it would be an act of terror and stress not of pure hatred and revenge.

Once Makoto finished his story the principal stated. "Well, Amano-san, that dose sound troublesome. Miss. Itô, I don't think I can allow anything else to go on, I'm sorry."

Miss Itô shook her head to one side and showed her anger and frustration. "No. The students have worked to hard. They have dedicated their time, their outings with friends, they have sacrificed so much—"

"Do you want them to sacrifice their friend and the school's reputation?" The principal snapped.

Miss. Itô, who was used to having people just allow her to go off on her pointless rants, was taken aback by the principals statement.

"I would never put the club before my own student's health, let alone life."

Makoto looked from everyone's grim face back to the principals angry one. "Am I to understand that the play will not be going on as planned?"

The principal looked down at Makoto and shook his head. "No, this club will no longer be going on."

Makoto couldn't help but gasp at the thought. His beloved club: gone.

"No, you can't do that." Makoto said, out of fear. He could not bear it if that happened because even if Ito was found that meant that he would not be able to go to the same school as her, never be able to see her.

"I'm sorry, Amano-san, but we don't really have a choice. Parents are going to see this as unsafe, unfit. We're lucky that our school isn't closed down."

"From one missing student?" Toki asked, a bit of a chuckle in his voice. "Hey, I knew a guy that vanished a month ago, my college never closed."

"But that never happened on school property: during school hours. It all depends on what parents and teachers begin to think of this place. If they don't send their children here than we will have to close simply because of lack of students. "

Everyone looked to the ground as the principal made his leave. "Well this is terrible!" Tsugami moaned. "This was my first time to act since i graduated and now...ah! So selfish. And Ito...how am I supposed to get Ito now."

No one cared to listen to her complaints nor did they want to hear her plans for Ito. They were all worried about the club and the school. Toki left the gym, saying he had errands to get to but Makoto saw that he seemed worried. It had been his club before he had graduated, his place that got him started on his career, the stage he had owned, the scripts that he performed, the parts he had lived, they were about to only be his memories, never something he could share with future club members.

"Man, this is awful!" Sakamoto cried.

Miss. Itô turned to him, exhausted. "Yes, I know. The students worked so hard."

Sakamoto looked up with a questioning stare. "What are you talking about? I was about to confess my feelings to Ito today. To tell her that she is the one and not Makoto-san."

Makoto rolled his eyes, Sakamoto saw this and apologized. "Not that I don't _care_ for you, Makoto-san, it's just."

"Don't bother." Makoto told him, not wanting to get into this discussion.

Tsugami however did and chased Sakamoto around the gym, telling him that Ito was her true soul mate. Makoto felt that these idiots were not worth his time so went up to Miss. Itô.

"Are you going to allow this to happen?"

She stared into the distance as she said, "I can't really say no." Makoto nodded understandably. "After all..." She continued, glancing around the gym. "The students seem just as frightened, no one but you four came to practise."

She rubbed her temples and left the gym. "This is just to hard." were her last words to Makoto.

He understood, the amount of time and effort she put into the club was never ending and now it seemed to be blowing up in her face.

Makoto couldn't believe it. If people had shown up then the story may have been different, the principal may have had a different approach. He flipped open his phone and called Yoshiro.

"Hello?" Yoshiro's chippy voice came over the phone.

"Hi, Yoshiro, it's Makoto.-san."

"Oh hi. What's up?"

"Well, I'm here at the club right now, and you and Nobuko and Misaki aren't. Could I ask why?"

There was a pause. "You didn't get the call?"

"Call?"

"Yes...the call that said the practise was cancelled. Are you there by yourself?"

"Who made the call?"

"Ahh...he said he was a teacher assistant at the school. I don't know." He tried asking his question again. "Are you there alone?"

"No...Toki, Miss. Itô, Tsugami and Sakamoto are all here as well."

Yoshiro seemed confused. "Miss. Itô?"

"Yes. She's here and there's talk of the club closing down, Miss. Itô feels that lack of club interest may increase the chances."

"WHAT?" He barked, unable to stay calm.

"Look, I'm sure we can all fix this up on Monday." Makoto said, knowing for some reason, that he'd be able to finish up everything by the next day.

"Monday...you sure that's not too far away?" Yoshiro asked. Makoto knew he had already made plans for his day off and he didn't want too many people coming to school just in case there was some form of danger. He informed him again, that all would be well and they said their goodbyes.

Makoto placed his phone back into his bag and raised his hand to his mouth, wondering what to do next. He was sure that Ito was still in the school but with no classes that day it would be hard to find her. Janitors would have noticed her the night before while doing their cleaning.

Makoto-san looked over to the stage. _No...she couldn't still be..._

He quickly ran over to the stage and leapt onto it. Sakamoto and Tsugami stopped their arguing to watch him curiously.

"What are you doing, Makoto-san?" Sakamoto asked, enthralled.

Makoto put his finger to his lips, signalling for them to be quiet. He then flipped open his phone, praying that for once Ito had kept her cell phone on her during the practise. Usually it was in her locker but some days when she was waiting for a call she'd keep it on her.

He then put his ear to the stage floor. He did not know what he wanted to hear, that the phone rang and that she had been there the entire time, or that the phone didn't ring and he still had no clue where she was. He grasped his own phone tightly, just hoping that the best outcome would come no matter what it was.

Then he heard it. It was muffled, and low, and if he hadn't threatened to chop off Sakamoto's head if he didn't shut up, he wouldn't have heard it. There it was, the deathly, silent, high noise of Ito's phone, ringing below the stage.

"She's there!" Makoto whispered.

"Yeah, I thought she'd be!" Came the rough voice of Toki. Toki had a look in his eye that showed determination and he walked briskly towards the stage, knowing what he had to do. Makoto looked at him, shocked to see him back, and got out of the way of the trap door, once he saw what was in Toki's hand.

Once Toki got to the stage he raised his arms and the crowbar he carried in them."It struck me last night that she was there and now—" The crowbar came down precisely in the crack of the trap door. Makoto crawled over to him and slowly opened the door, Ito's phone emanate from it. They all stared down the dark hole beneath them. Toki breathed heavily as his chest moved up and down steadily. The old wooden stage of their school left him tired from the one swing it had taken "Now...we can help her."


	14. theres another mask behind you

Hi everyone. No i didn't die this chapter just took a long time because it was very hard to write. ANd finding the time and energy to do it was tough. I'm sorry if I lost any good readers. But it is done now. and I hope anyone enjoys it and I thank anyone and everyoen who's been reading it and hoping for this chapter to come.

That being said the last chapter gasps is already written. I think as soon as I get 10 reviews for this chapter I will update that one. THE PHANTOM is revealed in that one. and since this is the second last chapter I think I may feel like saying NO ONE has guess the correct phantom.

Chapter 14

With a whip of chilling, still air the three of them landed down below the stage. The dark corridor seemed isolate amongst the school's normally bright setting.

"Where are we?" Sakamoto asked.

"Below the stage, Dipshit." Toki said fumbling to find a flashlight in his pants.

Makoto didn't have time for them, the sound of the cell phone ring penetrated throughout the darkness and he needed to find her. "Ito?" He called out and just like the cell phone, his voice echoed but no one answered.

He cupped his hands over his mouth and his leg began to twitch nervously, he did not like this one bit.

"There we go." Makoto had to shield his eyes from Toki shining the light of his flashlight at him. "Makoto, are you alright?" He asked. He was crunched down, from the low ceiling and looked up at Makoto who looked scared.

"Yeah, I'm just scared for Ito, that's all." He said in his feminine voice.

Sakamoto heard him and patted his back, he was crunched over too and the gesture was hard for him to do, he ended up having to grasp Makoto's shoulders to stay up. "Sorry." He said shyly. "But, you know she'll be alright and nothing will happen to you, as long as I'm here."

"Ya, you did a great job protecting Ito, Makoto knows she's in good hands right now!" Sarcastically Toki commented as he shone the light deeper down the bottom of the stage.

Brrring, brring...

"Dammit! Toki can we just find that damn cell phone and get out of here!"

Toki nodded and they followed the sound of the cell phone. Dust and cobwebs wisped past their faces as they made their way closer to the sound of the ring. Makoto crouched down below a load bearing pole and heard a crunch.

"Hey, Toki, stop." He instructed as he bent down to pick up what he had stepped on. It was the cell phone, Makoto swiped his finger gently up and down a crack in the screen, and he studied it for two minutes before concluding that it was her cell phone.

"But where is she?" He asked, seeing that the phone was alone.

It took a few moments before anyone could answer, the realization that Ito could be in danger seemed to be sinking in on everyone's mind. Somebody deliberately separated her from her form of communication. Makoto pictured Ito fighting her way from the kidnappers, her strength incomparable to theirs. Just when she finally lays a hand on them they grab her wrist, her phone would go off and the shook and fear over her face is stock cold. That's when the kidnapper turns her around, picks the phone out of her pocket tosses it aside and...

"We should keep looking." Toki said, stopping Makoto from visualizing the nightmare playing across his mind.

"Yeah...yeah...good idea." He said, clasping the cell phone tightly. He would not think about it. He would not visualize it. The only thought that would perform in his mind is the thoughtful hope that she is alive. He kept moving with them, hoping that some clue would come up that would give him the faith he was quickly loosing.

"Ho ho ho. What do we have here?" Sakamoto happily announced a far way ahead of them.

"What is it?" Makoto's voice seemed on the edge, risking his identity but a part of him didn't even care about that.

There was a thud and more sounds heard from where Sakamoto's voice was. More movement could be heard as Toki and Makoto approached and they heard a few curses from Sakamoto's mouth.

"What did you find?" Toki asked, listening to the large materials Sakamoto seemed to be moving.

"A...grh...a...shit!" His breathing was rough and he stepped back to take a breath. "A door." He breathed.

Makoto and Toki looked at each other, shock written all over their faces. "But the only door to here is that way." Toki explained while indicating over his shoulder.

Sakamoto shook his head. "No, I saw it. There was a glint in the dark when you shined the flashlight over here. I checked it out and it was was a door handle."

At hearing this Toki lifted his flashlight up and Makoto's eyes opened with disbelief. There was something shining in the light. He walked over to it and slowly moved his hand over it. A door handle... Sakamoto was right. But where does it lead? He wondered.

He heard Toki scuff and give a few sarcastic compliments to Sakamoto but he didn't care. In a few seconds of feeling around the door he was able to tell that there was a wardrobe tilted on its side blocking it and a few other old props from past plays. Makoto was able to move the smaller props in a matter of seconds but the wardrobe was another issue. Toki came up behind him.

"It would take at least three guys to push that thing." He said. Makoto almost smirked inside but Toki continued. "Of course, you're a girl and Sakamoto couldn't even move the props that you had just moved, which means we can only depend on myself..."

Makoto pressed his back to the bottom of the wardrobe and used his shoulders to push it back. It had taken him a while but it did begin to shift slightly. Before long the wardrobe was out of the way and Toki was left to stare at him in disbelief.

"Good job, Makoto!" He applauded as Makoto caught his breath and smiled up at them. He wasn't in the mood to chat: they had to figure out where the newly found would lead them. The three of them gathered around the door and Makoto slowly turned the handle...

DUNDUNDUN hahahaha

Hi!!!! This is pumpkinjuice. I wanted to build suspense here by putting in someone else's point of view

but unfortunately I have only put it into Makoto's POV this entire time. SO it wouln't really fit in ya. Okay...how are we all enjoying the story? Tough crowd...tough crowd...oh i know! Find the 3!!! 8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

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88888888888888888888 Wasn't that fun? I know I had fun. I'm sure you did too. Isn't this great comic relief? well best get back to the story (hope you're all itching to hear what happens).

The door slowly opened and all three boys were hit with several sporting equipment.

"Ouch!" Sakamoto cried as a bowling ball hit his foot. Makoto had gotten the worst of the soccer balls, badminton rackets and basketballs, being first in the group, but he had not made a sound. He had drawn out a map in his minds eyes and had concluded a while ago that they would possibly be in the gyms equipment room.

They all stepped into the small crowded room. Several hockey nets blocked their way. They inched around the pails of baseball bats and Sakamoto tripped over a few of the baseballs that Makoto and Toki had managed to walk over.

"Ever feel that not enough money is going to the arts?" Toki asked, as he compared the overcrowded storage room to the school's bare storage room which also served as their change room. Sakamoto argued and defended his running team but Makaoto didn't pay head to them. He glanced around the small space, remembering the day before: at practice.

Everyone had rushed over the school. Toki had checked the main exit, Makoto had stayed on stage, a few students had checked the hallways and others checked the outside grounds of the school. No one had checked a sports equipment room. The kidnapper could have easily gone down the trap door; Ito could have dropped her cell phone as they made their way over to the storage room. Everyone could have still been in the school as Ito was forced in here. However that did not seem plausible, Ito would have made noise and walls to this room were thin enough to echo to the hallways surrounding it where the students had been searching. Surely someone would have heard her.

So...did they just walk out in the hallway, plain as day? Or was there another...? Makoto glanced up to see an open air vent. Makoto looked around at everything around them. Anyone could easily step onto the hockey net and if there was another person helping, they could put someone through the vent by force.

He remembered the struggle he had felt the day before, it had not just been one person. There had to have been a couple of people working the little scheme. Makoto stepped up on the hockey net, which brought Sakamoto and Toki to halt. They both looked up and asked Makoto what he was doing.

Makoto's voice echoed down the air vent as his head was searching it. He rationalized that he could fit in it; it was large enough for a grown man to crawl through. He brought his arms up and hoisted himself in, taking a few steps forward to stick his upper body down to Toki and Sakamoto.

"Come on up." he instructed them, wanting to see if three grown people could fit in there. Toki pulled himself up easily however both Makoto and Toki had to help Sakamoto up and once he was up there; there was not much room to move.

"Dammit, this is going to be tough. Sakamoto, I swear if you fart or ram into my ass in any way." Toki warned.

"Don't worry!" Sakamoto assured him. "I'll just stay close to Makoto-san."

Makoto groaned, hoping Sakamoto didn't get to close to him as they began to crawl down the air vent. None of them knew where they were going. Toki was in front of them and Makoto was behind Sakamoto. They were silent as they concentrated on where they were going and how they were crawling. They passed a gated opening and Makoto notched something hanging from it. It was a scrap of dark material similar to Ito's dress in the scene they had practiced the day before. He ordered the two in front of him to stop and he examined it. Sure enough it was part of her dress. He put his weight on the gate and it opened with ease, as though it had been opened recently. Makoto crawled out and entered the dark hallway brushing off some dust mites as he stood. Sakamoto and Toki followed.

"Shit!" Toki said. "If I wanted to come up to the second floor of the school I would have used the damn stairs!"

Sakamoto agreed but Makoto was glad to see the trail of the kidnappers from the day before. He looked around the hallway and noticed the colourful sky outside. Dusk... he thought, realizing it was getting late. If he didn't find her in a few hours the Miura family would be at their dinner table, telling Goro of Ito's disappearance. Despite the lack of a relationship he had with Goro he did not want to cause him any sadness. Goro had already lost one woman dear to him he should not have to loose the other.

"Makoto." Toki's voice interrupted his thoughts. It was rough and grunt, Makoto glanced over to him and saw he was glaring right behind him. Makoto turned back to the direction he had faced moments before but instead of being transfixed with the window he noticed something on the ground. His eyes almost burst from his head as he ran over to the tethered dress on the ground.

He ran to it and held it closely against his body. The dress that the costume designers had worked so hard on for Ito to wear. The dress itself was not ruined but Ito herself was not in it.

Toki grumbled some curses under his breath and Sakamoto just stared at the dress pressed closely to Makoto.

"So...Does that mean that Ito's...naked?" Was the inappropriate question from Sakamoto.

Toki glared at him before he punched him in the back.

"Ya' IDIOT! Makoto's right there! Have some damn consideration!"

"But...are we looking for a clothed Ito or a naked one, because I've got to know!"

They continued to argue and Makoto ignored them. He held out the dress and inspected it. It was torn and ripped but it had always been that way: it had been meant to look rather dysfunctional. Indeed, he saw no other rips besides that the costume designers had inflicted upon the new dress. He thought back to the trouble she always had getting in and out of the dress. He had helped her unzip the backing several times (much to her protest) so the kidnappers had to be caring enough to help her out of the dress: not force her out.

Toki was behind him now. "What are you thinking about?" He asked as he looked at the dress Makoto still held.

"It's the same as it was when she left. I think it was deliberately put here: for us to find."

Toki carefully took the costume from Makoto and studied it himself as Makoto glanced down the adjacent hallway. There was only one problem to his theory, if they had planted evidence than they wanted them to find something. The question was what did they want them to find?

There was a scream behind them from Sakamoto; they both ran down the hallway they had just been standing in moments before. At the end of the hall they found Sakamoto hunched in a corner, flailing his arms wildly, his eyes shut tight and annoying sounds emanating from his clenched mouth.

They were shocked to see the fright in him and wondered what had brought it on. They asked if he had seen the phantom or if he hurt himself or if the phantom had hurt him. He did not say the problem, only making whimpering sounds. He finally pointed to his foot where Makoto and Toki saw a small spider. Makoto picked it up on his index finger, causing Sakamoto to cry out as though all misery had crashed down on him in one exact moment.

"Why did we bring you on a rescue mission?" Toki asked as he pulled Sakamoto off the floor. Makoto laughed slightly before dropping the spider back on the floor. That's when something caught his eye, a yellow envelope addressed to him and 'Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb'. He called out to Toki and Sakamoto who stepped over to him to see what he had.

Sakamoto gasped upon reading the envelope. "I am not Tweedle Dee!"

"Then you're Tweedle Dumb!" Toki muttered as he leaned over Makoto to read the note.

Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dumb,

This spectacle has astound you numb.

Makoto, Hide your face.

The world may never find you.

The day has always been a masquerade,

Turn around, there's another mask behind you

Phantom of the Theatre

"Is that a threat?" Sakamoto asked, finishing the letter after them.

Toki scratched his head, gently taking the note from Makoto. "It's a song from the original play, but he's switched the words around to make it seem more of a threat."

Makoto nodded, trying to stay with them. However the words on the paper caught his eyes, 'Makoto hide your face, and the world may never find you.'

Whoever this phantom was, he was getting to close for comfort for Makoto.

"Hmm...It makes no sense to me." Toki said, muttering that it may not be the same person as the previous notes.

"I don't know..." Sakamoto said, snatching the note back. Toki took a step towards him to grab the note back but Sakamoto stepped into the darkness and Toki just stopped to listen to him. "It could just—-Agh!"

Makoto looked around, expecting another spider but instead there was a large figure behind Sakamoto. Sakamoto slowly turned around to see whom he had backed into. His mouth hung open as he looked up to the figure, not making a sound, just looming over the young teenager.

Makoto stared at the figure, not knowing what to say. What could he say? Up until that moment he had always thought the phantom was just the first year's imagination and that everything going on would turn out to be a prank, even Ito's disappearance. However at that moment the figure responsible for all the mishaps stood in front of him, his face hidden by a mask and his shoulders draped in a long black cloak of velvet.

Toki seemed as bewildered as Makoto and Sakamoto was dumbfounded. Then just as quickly as it took for the shock to come over them, he turned on his heels and was gone. All three of them watched him run down the hallway for a few moments before their senses woke up. They glanced at each other, all rather embarrassed at what had happened before they ran off down the narrow hallway. They pushed their way between each other, being squished by the lockers on either side of them. Finally Sakamoto broke between them and ran off ahead to catch the phantom. Makoto ran beside Toki, they were running blind: there were no lights on, all class rooms were empty and they had no way of knowing where the phantom went for he was not in their sights.

They reached the end of the hall that was also the top of the stairs to go downstairs. Toki stopped and watched Sakamoto rush down the stairs.

"Wait, Sakamoto! He didn't go down there!" He shouted down as they watched Sakamoto leave them. Toki turned to Makoto, "We would have heard him go down the stairs, he was running too fast to stop and quietly ease down those things."

Makoto agreed they stepped back in the hallway which broke into two different ones. The one they had come down and the one adjacent to it.

"Could he have taken a turn and gone down there." Makoto pointed and Toki nodded, already running down the hallway. "Hey you!" Makoto looked up to see a cape trail down the corner of the hallway they had just rushed through. He was there.

Makoto was about to go after Toki when he heard something hiss, "Makoto"

He turned around to where the voice had come from but only saw the dark velvet cape as he had before. Suddenly it moved. Makoto looked back at where Toki had just headed off, wondering who he was chasing and if Sakamoto was still chasing a caped figure.

Suddenly, beneath the cape, there was a white gloved finger, beckoning him to follow him. Makoto questioned it but it was not until the figure was practically down the hallway that he, Sakamoto and Toki had just stormed through that Makoto finally followed.

It didn't take him long to loose the phantom. On the contrary, in a matter of seconds the phantom was gone, seemingly into the darkness where he belonged. However, he did not seem have gone far. Makoto stopped short halfway down the hall. He had stopped hearing the phantom's footsteps long ago.

He heard a door creek up ahead of him and slowly edged towards it.

The door marked 'upper stage' was slightly ajar. He had never been in the upper stage room, only Ito, Yoshiro, Miss. Ito and the tech crew had the authority. It wasn't really anything big, he knew. It was just a small landing above the stage where some of the technical equipment was usually stored. There was another one at the other end of the stage however the only way to get to that part was by walking across some old metal rafters, which was the only thing connecting each side, and no one ever did that.

Makoto walked onto the unusual roomy landing. Everything had been taken out for the show, however, the landing had accommodated some new merchandise, it seemed. There was a desk from a neighbouring classroom with some pens and papers (all with the pale yellow tinge the notes had been accustomed to) lying on top of it. His hand hovered over the tools as he turned to see the stolen bed sheets used for the first scene. He walked over to them and clutched them tightly, seeing the old holes mended and the blotchy stains washed out.

He was wrapped in curiosity as he wondered about the care the phantom had taken towards these old bed sheets that hearing the sound of someone moving shocked him: greatly. He spun around to see the phantom on the other end of the stage.

Impossible. Makoto thought. The rafters were dangerous for anyone but a person of the phantom's stature and height; it would be down right impossible.

"Amono, Makoto." His loud, direct voice announced. Makoto stood up, dropped the blanket and made eye contact with the Phantom. That was when the phantom spoke again, his eyes followed Makoto as he made his way to the edge of the rafters, and a sly smile curled under his mask. "Or, should I say Narita?" Makoto's eyes burst open and his eyebrows flung up. He had no means of control of his expression at that point. "Yes that's more honest isn't it? Narita, Makoto." The phantom mocked.

Makoto stared up at him, trying to pin point the voice. He had heard it somewhere, he was sure. He felt sure it was one of his father's men; however the voice was not one he could place.

"Stand up here, Narita-san. Its best you stand at proper height when you meet your maker." The gloved hand came out from under the black velvet again. Makoto stood, transfixed, it seemed by the white gloved hand. The phantom commented on how silly Makoto was being. "What, pray tell, makes you long for the glove on my hand so affectionately?"

"It's white." Makoto said at last. The phantom was about to mock him again when Makoto removed his gaze from the glove to glare into his eyes. "That' means Ito is safe, no blood is shown on your hands and in this area I see no other means of clothing for you."

The phantom leaned forward, his mouth slightly open and curling in an intrigued fashion. "Ah...I see we have a little bit of a...detective, shall we say? In our midst. Such a shame, you were such a good actor. After all, no one but me seemed to know your true identity."

"And who might you be?" Makoto risked as he took one step onto the platform.

The phantom barked and took a step back. His face was stretched in a huge smile, baring his teeth as he tentatively moved his finger back and forth, as though talking to a child who had just stolen from the cookie jar. He then added in a paternal voice, "No, no, no, no. That's not a question for you to hear the answer to."

Makoto glanced around him for a quick moment before he took a deep breath and stepped towards the Phantom. "Why?"

The Phantom cocked his head to the side as he said, "Because, that was something for you to find. Now you have not, you have failed Makoto."

Makoto looked into the dark eyes of the Phantom; still he could not place him. The words the phantom spoke had been meant to hurt him but Makoto did not fall for the bait laid so simply out for him. He repeated his question again. "Who are you?"

The phantom shook his head and kept Makoto's eye contact the entire time.

Makoto decided to try something new, hoping it would eventually yield to the answer he had been looking for. "Why do you do this?"

"For the theater." He said sternly.

Makoto gaffed. "How does it aid us if you take our main character away?"

"How does it aid her acting ability if you lie to her constantly every day?"

Makoto was again caught off guard but this time he did not stir his eyes away from the Phantom. The Phantom was not disturbed by this action; on the contrary, he seemed rather enamored by it.

"I do not lie to her." Makoto replied, although he realized that the Phantom could take many moments to prove that statement false.

The phantom stood where he was and shrugged as he pretended to retreat. "If that is your attitude towards her, fine. Go and lie. Stretch the truth. She won't have to hear it, either way she'll just ignore it. Making up excuses for you, as she normally does. You may not lie directly to her but you lie to her subtly, in a way that gives her the same emotions as any lie would."

Makoto thought as he watched the phantom turn back, to see his reaction. It could be seen that way. The way Makoto spoke of them being together, everything they would do, all their dreams, together: after graduation. Every day he'd mention it and something would come to pull them apart. Sometimes it was him; sometimes it was her, sometimes another force that neither had control over. Either way, it would feel that he had lied to her.

The masked phantom saw the emotions working over Makoto's face. The Phantom may have thought he won but Makoto knew he just had to hold his ground. He took a few more steps closer to the Phantom.

Once he stood a foot away the Phantom raised his hand to stop him. "How do you plan on hurting me?" He asked subtly.

Makoto, never removing his eyes from the Phantom's eyes, informed him. "I do not believe you to be a phantom. I do not believe you to be invincible. I believe you to be a human man. One who could be harmed greatly if he were to fall to the stage below."

The Phantom nodded, and expectantly took a step back, spread his arms out and nodded for Makoto to make the first hit. Makoto was shocked. The Phantom was allowing him to attack him, to defeat him and unmask him. Makoto lunged his fist at the phantom's open chest.

The phantom only smiled, not moving an inch.

"What did I tell you?" Makoto asked as he stared at the spot where he had hit the phantom, barely believing what had happened.

The Phantom tapped his finger against his chin, "Now, if I remember correctly, I believe that is now my turn, to return the blow."

Makoto felt the impact before he could prepare himself. He staggered for a few moments before bending down to grab hold of the rafter he stood on. In one swift move he kicked the feet below the cape and the Phantom lost his balance.

Unfortunately like Makoto he too gripped onto the rafter as he fell and was able to secure his safety. Once the Phantom was down, however, it gave Makoto a chance to glance behind him, to the other landing: Ito was nowhere in sight. He cursed under his breath as he stood and at the same time as the Phantom, both of them stared at each other with utmost distaste.

"You defend poorly but you fight with skill." The Phantom responded.

"You should learn to expect what is not expected." Makoto replied as he realized why the Phantom allowed him the first blow.

The Phantom straightened himself up as he tried to look down on Makoto, but it seemed hard for him now.

Makoto was not concerned with what the Phantom thought. He had just realized that Ito was not on the other side and therefore he knew nothing of her whereabouts.

"Where is she?" He questioned and the Phantom smiled wickedly.

"The main character?"

"Ito!"

The Phantom raised his head in awe. "I see you refer to her by her first name." He caressed the bottom of his face, his stern jaw line moved into the touch like a cat to the warmth of a human hand. "As though you were close."

His words hit a nerve with Makoto who did not show it. He just stared at the Phantom and stood his ground.

"How close are you two?" He asked and Makoto's jaw tightened.

He had never been able to answer Ito or his own sisters when they asked that question. It had always broken his heart when he could not look into Ito's eyes as the man he was and say he loved her. He had always assumed that in time he'd be able to do it however in light of recent events he hadn't opened up to her at all.

The phantom smiled slightly under his mask, reading Makoto like a book. "Well, well..." Makoto glared at him. "It seems you two were never close."

"Be quiet!" Makoto commanded. "And remove your mask!"

The phantom shook his head but Makato ordered him again.

This time the tall, cloaked, man replied, "Remove your mask!"

Makoto took a step back, confused. He did not understand what the phantom was referring to.

"You wear your mask everywhere." Stepping towards Makoto. "You wear it around your family, around your friends, even around the one you say you keep nothing from."

Makoto realized that the phantom was just trying to fool him, to bother him. He knew that the tactic he was using was to just try and bother him. The thing was he did not care that it was a trap; he wanted to set the Phantom straight right there.

Still keeping his eye contact he slowly moved his hand to his wig, carefully unclipping it to remove it from his head. With the back of his sleeve he expertly wiped off the slight blush and lipstick he wore. Once he felt it he was wearing his true face he looked up at the Phantom, showing him who he really was wasn't a challenge for Makoto.

"You asked me to remove my mask, and I assume this is not what you mean. It's true that I show myself to no one, for my father would take me home if I ever did. But who I look on the outside is not who I am. I am not just a desperate actor willing to go the unreasonable distance to achieve his dream. I am Narita Makoto, the man in love with Miura, Ito and the man who will stop at _nothing_ to give her what she wants if it means I can be with her. She is the only person I have ever showed my true self to and I'd like to keep it that way. Its our little secret, and if I have to show you who I truly am to get her back than I guess I have to break that vow to myself. But here I am, Narita, Makoto, as you desired."

The Phantom smiled and pointed behind Makoto. The door to the upper stage opened and so did the door to the class room across the hall. Makoto could see the dark sky outside, illuminated by the bright white snow flakes falling to the ground. He rushed to the empty class room, not noticing the two figures that held the doors opened. He ran to the window and looked down, he saw below Ito, in her thick beige gown from the third scene of the play.

The phantom came up behind him, his hand rested nicely on his shoulder. "You've sacrificed enough to be with her." Makoto looked up into the dark brown eyes of the Phantom with a feeling of recognition. "Narita, your secret is safe with me. Now _go_."

Makoto nodded and with a nod of thank you he rushed out of the class room and through the school. His wish for seeing Ito was his only guide to direct him through the dark school.

THERE IT IS REVIEW PLEASE IF YOU DOn't MAKOTO AND ITO MAY FREEZE TO DEATH IN THE COLD


	15. whose is the face in the mask?

sorry mates, but im getting tired of waiting for the ten whole reviews. Here it is, I hope you enjoy and thank you SO Much for reading it, it has been my pleasure to write it and my pleasure to hear that you have enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think of the ending. Good night.

* * *

The snow came down in layers, gently spreading out sheets of white on the ground below him. He watched Makoto run to Ito and had to smile at the two: they made an excellent couple.

He heard the door close behind him and waited for his brother to speak.

"Well, Ryuya, I guess we're done here, aren't we?"

Ryuya turned to the still masked Yûto and reluctantly smiled. "Yes, I guess you could say that."

Yûto came up behind him and looked down on the two embracing below. "Sometimes I wonder how far you will go to make sure Ito's happy with a good man."

Ryuya cocked his head. "As far as I have too to make her happy I guess."

They both laughed, knowing it was true, as they saw Makoto and Ito begin to play in the snow. The door behind them opened and Tatsuyoshi entered, not looking too pleased.

"Ack, why did I have to be the one going up and down the stairs, that spiky-haired, ape kid chased me forever!"

Yuto calmly expalined, "You were the one who left our sake out and almost gave us away. Therefore you must be chased by fastest one in the group."

Tatsuyoshi made a face before continuing his story. "Well...We eventually went into the cafeteria and I had to throw some spaghetti sauce at him to finally get him to calm down. I don't see why I had to be apart of this, you're the over protective brothers: NOT ME! Ito could marry an axe murderer for all I care!"

Yûto and Ryuya exchanged looks as they knew this statement was not true. He wanted to make sure the guy Ito was dating was a good guy, just as much as Ryuya and Yûto did.

"Well, either way, we're glad you were here." Yûto commented, telling him that they needed all three of them for it to work out. "That Toki kid, he's strong but dumb as nails, I lead him around in a few circles and he was stumped to how he ended up out in the main lobby."

Ryuya laughed, wishing he had been apart of the adventurous chases but was happy he heard for himself Makoto's thoughts.

"I hope you're not this bad when I bring a girl over." Tatsuyoshi commented, taking his cape off and removing his tomato stained mask.

"Don't worry, we'll be worse." The twins said in unison as they glared out the window at Makoto and Ito. Tatsuyoshi was taken aback and began to yell at them, not knowing if they were joking or being serious.

They all laughed when the door opened and Miss. Ito came in, and they put their masks back on quickly.

"Hi boys, are you done up here? You said you'd be done by today."

"And we are, thank you Miss. Ito." Yûto said, graciously bowing.

Miss. Ito blushed slightly, the same charm that convinced her that their little prank was a good idea. "Oh don't thank me. Its great that you three did this. The principal has agreed to put more money into the arts now, some of our costumes can be replaced, renovations on those dangerous rafters on the stage, better tech equipment and of course! You three got my actors right into the story, oh I see the passion in their eyes. They are frightened of a Phantom just like the dancers in the story."Tears shaun in her eyes as she happily stated, "They are going to do so well."

"Have they all come back?" Tatsuyoshi asked and the teacher nodded. Also explaining that she had let the principal in on their secret and (though he had called her an idiot and a disgrace to the teachers faculty, statement she argued and won about) he agreed to just pretend that this never happened. He'd call the families of those nervous parents and let them know the girl was found and that nothing had actually happened on school property, just a slight white lie.

"Anyway, I just came to see if you guys can lock up?"

They nodded and said they'd give her the key at a later date, after they finsihed cleaning up and fixing some old props that they had already begun meanding.

"Great, have fun you three. And thanks again."

She left and the three of them were left to look out over the snowy night again, Ito and Makoto had begun to go home, clutching each other closely in the cold.

"So, we should just act surprised when they tell us." Yûto said, admiring the two lovers below.

Ryuya nodded. "Yup and Tatsuyoshi?" he turned to the younger one. "DO NOT BREATHE A WORD OF THIS TO DAD!"

He pouted by the accusation but nodded in agreement. They removed their masks for the last time, waiting for the day that Makoto would do the same.


End file.
